Masters and Warriors
by wolf guardian of light
Summary: Po knew he wasn't the real Dragon warrior. He had a greater calling, a calling from his sordid past. But now, with the return of his old Master, old memories surface as an ancient foe returns to finish what Po started...
1. Remembering

The Jade Palace was shrouded in darkness, all the students and masters long since retired to their chambers. The gentle chimes in the winds slowed an fell silent. The stars themselves seemed to dull in the perfectly clear night. The moon was out of sight.

_Perfect..._

In the stillness of the Dojo, one shadow fleeted from one spot to the next, merging seamlessly with the pools of darkness and only able to be seen in the brief seconds of movement. In several swift movements, it crossed the large courtyard and out the double doors leading to the steps down to the Valley.

_Finally..._

It had been several weeks. Several weeks in which he was forced into the warrior way.

Again.

Instead of heading down to the village, the figure leapt further up the mountain, towards hidden clearings where no one would see him. With unnatural grace, he leapt off outcrops of rock, reaching higher and higher...

Reaching the top of the mountain, in a circle of standing stones where no mortal has stood foot, the shadow came to rest, breathing erriely subdued. Stepping out of the darkness, light poured down over him from the moon above...

_Alone at last._

To reveal a large, slightly overweight panda.

--

Po cracked his knuckles, stomping on the ground once. Just behind his feet, a small pillar of rock shot out of the ground just as he began to sit down, meeting him in the middle. Po sighed, clenching and unclenching his fists. A few weeks ago, he had to fight. Again. After swearing he would never fight again in his entire life.

_Well, thats one more promise broken..._

Po glanced over the standing stones, each enscribed with arcane symbols. To the people in the valley, the symbols would have been mere gibberish, nonscene scribbled onto walls. To Po however...

He stood up, trailing one hand over a large symbol. It resembled a large cross within a circle, with a small letter from another language in each corner.

"Earth..."

Po cracked his neck and turned away from the stone. Glancing at the Moon above, he suddenly turned and struck the ground with a fist. Several pillars shott out of the ground, growing spikes and spun on the spot before darting over the ground towards him. To anyone that knew him, it would have been a death sentance. Po couldn't move fast enough to dodge them. Not Fat Po. Stupid Po. Weak Po. Lucky Po. False Po...

Po hunched down, sticking out one leg and sweeping it along the earth, cracking the pillar where he struck it. Spinning to his feet, he leapt up and kicked the broken pillar skywards, following it up. Reaching behind it, he bunched up his fist and punched it, knuckles meeting Spikes. The knuckles won. Now shattered, Po sweeped his hand over the reamins as he began to fall. The shards swirled in the air, dancing around his hand before being directed to the remaining pillars. The shards were like bullets, completely shredding the stone spikes. Po gently landed on both feet with barely a bend to the knees. Closing his eyes as the stone dust swirled in the air around him. He inhaled deelly, feeling the stone enter his lungs before beig breathed out.

Now the euphoria of Power left him, he felt the knot of guilt coil in his stomach.

_And another promise..._

Po sighed. It was three hundred years since he made that promise. Never to fight. Never to use his powers. To live the life of a _normal_ person...

Ever since he starded this new life, he tried his best to stay in the background. Something to be ignored. Forgotten. Lost. He even became adopted by the Noodle Shop owner. Even now he felt guilty about that. Tricking such a caring individual into thinking he was his son... When the whole business with Tai Lung came up, he was half-way coerced into confessing...

Po went through some more techniques, creating Rock Traps for himself to defeat without powers. As he settled back into the familiar feeling of training, he let his attention wander, still focused on his surrondings...

--

_Fire covered the entire city, reducing the buildings to rubble, the people within to Ash. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air as crimson splashes coated the ground. Limbs were thrown over the road, scraps of clothing and broken machinery littering the once fertile plains._

_This land was cleansed. No life lived here now. Not any more._

_Pain filled his entire world. Pain. Betrayal. Rage. And lust... Lust for blood. For death. A thirst that must be quenched..._

--

Po was knocked out of his flashback when the last pillar fell, crumbling to dust at his feet. Even now his breathing was subdued. He was a lot fitter than peope believed. After all, most of the fat was simply Rock Dust inhaled over the years. He could breathe it out anytime he wished. He formed another rock for him to sit on, lounging back and staring into the sky. He rubbed his eyes, trying to block out that last image. He had left that life behind... No more wars...

_But that wasn't true was it?_

His cursed mind surface quickly.

_It may be hidden, but a Wars, a War..._

Po grumbled, mutting to shut up under his breath. He hadn't seen one in over five hunderd years. They're probably too busy trying to rebuild their forces to be worried about a Panda living in a valley of Peace.

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness..."

Po swept to his feet in one swift movement, fists already poised and ready for action. The earth beneath him trembled as he built up his power to noticeable levels. A warning.

"Alright, come on outta there, I've got you cornered."

A small chuckle, filled with humour echoed over the stone arena, a figure stepping out into the light. Immediatly Po lowered his powers, dropping one hand to the side while the oter went to his heart, quickly bowing.

"Master Ghost..."

The large, white furred wolf scowled and bent down to peer into the Panda's eyes.

"And how many times do I have to tell people? Not to call me Master-"

Po interrupted, a humourous glint in his eyes.

"-Master, Lord, Sir or Alpha... you don't even like people calling you ShadowWalker..." Ghost stiffened and sniffed, turning his back on the Panda.

"Thats a rediculous legend you know." Po stood upright, standing next to Ghost. Without looking at him, he continued.

"Thats what they say about the Moonlit Death." Ghost inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly. He glanced at his old friend and student, remembering back to the time he had found him. Drunk with rage and Blood... It was surprising to see the infamous "Moonlit Death" as some bumbling, clumsy Kung-Fu wannabe... Unless you knew the secret.

"I heard about your battle. With A Tie Lung wasn't it?"

"Tai Lung." Po shivered unconciously. Ghost wouldn't just arrive with no reason, even if they were old friends. He had a whole species to rule, not to mention the whole thing with the Council. That had to mean...

"A renegade wasn't he? A Warrior, forced to fight?"

Po winced. It wasn't what he thought. It was worse.

"Yeah... Well, I wouldn't have called it forced-"

"Endured horrific training throughout his childhood? Always beaten, always starved, always broken?"

"Now see here-"

"Taught how to fight from such a young age, its all he knows how do act?"

Po Snarled and swung a punch at the Wolf Master. leaning back slightly, he dodged the blow as Po readied a kick to sweep his legs out from under him.

"I'm not like him! I'll never be like him!" Po's fist made another attempt at reaching the Wolf's muzzle, but was caught mid-air. Squeezing slightly, Ghost pushed forwards and down, making Po drop to his knees. Po gasped as Ghost's power rose to incomprehensible levels, the dead air twisting and turning around him as the Moon blazed in responce. Orbs of pure light burst into being and danced aroun the wolf, his eyes glowing grey.

"Not now. But you used to be so much worse..."

The lights suddenly winked out of being as the Moon returned to normal, Ghost's eyes returning to their natural grey-green. releasing the Panda's paw, he sighed and rubbed his face.

"When I found you... You were out of control. And none of that was your fault..."

He glared into Po's face.

"Many wished you dead. They thought you'd always be the 'Moonlit Death'. But I helped you... And now look. No one would even consider thinking you could do anything like that."

Po panted on all fours, staring into nothing. He could tell what Ghost wanted from him. Growling, he struggled to his feet, swaying on the spot from the sheer power Ghost infused the air with. Ghost grinned, fur turning grey as he turned on the spot, heading for the shadows cast by the standing stones.

"I think you know what has to be done..." With that he stepped into the shadow... And vanished.

--

Po crept into the Jade Palace once more, not using his powers, not caring about stealth. Shifu moved in and out of the Palace all the time. Plus, it wasn't as if he was a prisoner here or anything...

He could feel the footsteps of his fellow Masters off the stone floors. On the halls, on the walls, behind pillars... He could feel their stares on the back of his head, puzzlement mixed with concern. Another twist to the stomach. Despite thier doubts about his worthiness to train with them, they still treated him with respect... And as they got to know each other, with friendship. Even Tigress had apologised about saying he didn't belong there.

_But he didn't._

Sliding over the door behind him, he settled down to his Earth Meditation position. he didn't think he would be able to get some sleep tonight...

--

The Furious fave exchanged looks, Tigress letting out a growl of concern. Po wasn't one for leaving the Palace at night... They still had problems getting him awake in the mornings!

Tigress landed on the floor with a soft pad on the stone, creaping forward silently. Pushing open the sliding doors, she glanced the Panda in an odd position. His fingers were bent in an image she had never seen before, while his whole posture was more alert than she had ever seen. In fact, from here he looked like a proper warrior than a lucky wannabe...

Po opened one eyes, staring at her with a furocity she had never seen outside a mirror. He slowly softened, a smile creeping over his lips before closing his eyes again. Tigress took the hint and closed the door, lost in thought. What could have made Po; bumbling, happy-go-lucky, enthusiastic Po look so... vicious? Shaking her head at her comrades, she made her way to her own dorm room, musing over Po's sudden change...


	2. Accident

**Well, I'm glad that people seem to find this story interesting enough to review, so thank you.**

**I bet you're all wondering what the Ghost guy has to do with anything? A lot actually...**

**And I don't think they'll be any couples besde Viper/Crane, - No idea why that one appeals to me, but there you go - but If I get enough reviews asking for one for Po or the others, I'll see what I can do...**

**P.S.**

**To FalconMage, interesting theme about the Arcana. Ever heard of Carcaptor Sakura? I bet you could make a great story with that...**

_STAR STAR STAR STAR_

Master Shifu softly walked into the Dormitories, his staff making faint clickings on the ancient wood below. Standing in the middle of the hallway, he clasped his hands behind his back and cleared his throat.

"Good morning Students..."

Immediatly five of the six doors opened and the Furious Five emerged, fully clothed and wide awake. As one, they clasped their hands, with Viper manipulating her tail as best as she was able, and bowed deeply to their teacher.

"Good Morning Master." Six pairs of eyes focused on the remaining door, waiting for the inevitable shout from Master Shifu.

"Dragon Warrior? Po! Wake up!" However, when Shifu slid the door aside, they found the room completely empty. Shifu blinked in confusion before regaining his stoic appearance.

"Have any of you seen the Dragon Warrior?"

Exchanging glances, Four of the Five stepped back, leaving Tigress alone before their teacher. Wincing, mentally snarling at her cowardly fellow Masters, she apporached Shifu and bowed.

"We... Observed him returning to his room after dark Master." Shifu turned round, fingers stroking his small beard.

"Indeed? Then where is he now?" Shifu closed his eyes. Normally the Panda was easy to track, his bullk alone causing enough noise when he broke several objects in his vicinity. Now, an eerie silence was all that was heard in the Jade Palace. No heavy breathing, no appologies, no gasps of amazement... The Panda did seem to be missing.

"Perhaps he went to visit his Father?" Viper spoke up, tail coiling round her in agitation. Shifu gave her a discrete nod, silently agreeing with her statement, concern in his eyes. In one swift movement he twirled his staff around his body and struck the ground with a sharp crack.

"Well if he has he'll face triple chores this week! Now, come students... Two hours practice before Breakfast..."

--

The Masters opened up the gates to the Training ground, eyes widening and jaws dropping at the sight within. Shifu had to shove his larger students out the way before he too fell victim to the spell. The six's eyes darted from side to side, up and down as they followed a black and white streak across the plaza.

Po was snapping training dummies in half, moving through the obstacles like water trickling through stone. He ducked and weaved with a grace that they had never seen before in the large bear, avoiding traps that even the Five had to disable to move past. And throughout it all, his face was one of deep thought. It was clear he wasn't even focusing on the task at hand. Within minutes of the Five's arrival, the whole plaza was cleared, Po not even out of breath. Without seeing his comrades, he lightly moved to the supplies area and pulled out several new items.

Shifu shook his head and carefully stepped forward. Po was just setting up a leathal combination of a spiked rail and swing traps when Shifu cleared ihs throat.

"Dragon Warrior?"

Po didn't apparantly hear him, setting the mechanism to its most punishing training level. Without even pausing to compose himself, he leapt into it, toes balancing on the spikes as he moved in between the heavy rock weights that threatened to knock him off onto the row of spikes below. Viper gulped as he not only reached her level of evasion, but passed it easily. Tigress frowned as he shattered several boulders heading for him. Crane sighed as he moved from spike to spike without even thinking. Mantis chittered to himself while Po flipped and leapt his way to safety. Monkey's jaw dropped as he ran his fingers over the ropes just enough to redirect his movements in the air, helping him reach the other side.

When he reached the end, Shifu decided enough was enough. Stepping up to the Panda, he gently touchined him on the leg...

"Po-"

He didn't get any further.

Without even thinking, Po crouched down and swept the legs out from beneath master Shifu before launching him into the air with a vicious upper kick. Only then did his eyes seem to focus on the present and flashed with concern as Shifu went skyward.

"Master Shifu!"

Po hunched down before launching into the air, quickly catching up with the flying Master. Catching him, he pulled him into his chest before beginning his decent, dropping to his knees on the ground. Laying the Red Panda on the ground he quickly assed the damage.

"A broken Rib... As well as his arm..." Guilt washed over Po's face before he turned to Viper and began to bark out orders.

"I need a splint and badages, now! Tigress, find my a large stone, about the size of your fist! The rest of you, help them!" The Five reacted, not pausing to think. In seconds, the plaza was empty besides a large Panda and an unconcious Master.

Po sighed, looking over Shifu's wounds. Placing one hand on his chest, he closed his eyes and focused...

Immediatly a Violet glow surronded him, burning brightly in the raising sun. Exhaling slowly, he pushed a little down his arm and into Shifu. The violet haze swirled over his body before sinking into his flesh. Po gasped as he felt his Rib and Arm snap as Shifu's healed themselves. Staring at his sleeping Master, Po waited for his own healing process to begin. By the time the Five had returned, all wounds were healed.

Viper slid over to Shifu, placing her tail against his chest, feeling calmly.

"Po... There's no Broken Rib..." Po chuckled weakly, trying to pass himself off as his usual Goofy self.

"Heh... Guess I overreacted." Tigress and Monkey helped carry Shifu indoors, placing him on one of the meditation mats in the great hall. As the others followed hem inside, Po stayed behind, glancing at his own fist. He clenched his hand so tight that rivulets of blood trickled down his wrist. Opening his hand, he saw the several small cuts flare with violet energy before closing over. Snorting with disgust, he quickly caught up with the rest.

--

Po watched from outside the room as Viper placed a cold cloth over Shifu's brow, placing his hands on his chest. Slipping back outside, she gently closed over the door.

"I don't understand... He has no wounds, but he won't wake up..." Tigress clenched her fist, rounding on the newest Master.

"What the hell did you do Panda!"

Both Monkey and Crane flipped in front of her, holding her back while Po looked at the ground, eyes closed. He exhaled slowly, a small cloud of dust falling to the floor unseen by the distracted Masters.

"I... I don't know. It was just a kick..."

_And the transfer should have worked..._

"I don't even know how I did it." Tigress growled deeply, eyes flashing dangerously Before she could reply, Mantis stepped out, a bundle of needles on his shoulder.

"He's going to be fine... Somehow Po here managed to block his chi... Just like..." He faltered before looking straight into Po's eyes.

"Like Tai Lung."

Po nodded to himself. It wasn't surprising really. However, the Masters noticed this.

"Something wrong Po?" Viper slithered up Crane's leg, coming to rest on his shoulder. Now that Po had been living in the jade Palace for a while, it was obvious that the two were more than simple comrades-in-arms. Po shook his head, waving her off.

"Nah, its all good. I'm just glad Master Shifu will be okay..." He grinned.

"Hah, just goes to prove how awesome I am, huh?" Tigress rolled her eyes, a slight smirk crawling over her face. She had to admit, sometimes his blatant self-humiliation made her smile. Which was exactly the point.

Deciding that a distraction was needed, he rubbed his "stomach".

"Hey, I don't know about you guys, but this Master needs some food." He kept his face carefully neutral as the others rolled their eyes. as they wandered towards the kitchen, he could hear their whispered mutters. It would take a lot more than a simple hsh of the voice to keep things hidden from Po.

_Is food all he cares about?_

_Who cares? What I want to know is how he managed that kick..._

_Well, he _is _the Dragon Warrior..._

_And he's been training non-stop since he arrived._

Po grinned. Good old Crane and Viper. They always stood up for him.

However as he made his way towards the kitchen with the others, ready to begin making the five their breakfasts, his face fell.

Sometime soon, he would have to leave. This training was both too advanced and too restrained... His body was learning, _remembering _how to fight faster than his mind could remember self-control...

--

Later that night, Po returned to the Standing Stones. Leaping on top of the Earth Pillar, he settled down to think.

_The Medusa Touch... God, I can't believe I still remembered that technique._

He leaned back, legs dangling over the side. The moom was completly full tonight, bathing the sacred site in it's pale silver glow. He let his fur bask in it before shaking his head and snarling enough to earn a grudgig respect from Tigress.

"What the Hell am I going to do?"

"Well, how about your job?" Ghost faded into being underneath Po, seemingly walking out of the stone pillar itself. Po snorted in disgust and leapt down, face to face with his old teacher.

"Its not that easy..."

"I know. I've done this kind of thing many times before Po. Trust me, it doesn't get any easier." He rummaged around in his pockets before pulling out two small purple crystals.

"I thought you'd like these back... They've been in our armoury since you left." He tossed up the gems, Po snatching them out of the air with ease. He opened his paw, sighing.

"I left these behind for a reason..."

Ghost shrugged, rubbing a white diamond hanging around his chest. He turned and made to leave, the symbol on the pillar opposite the Earth Pillar glowing as he touched the stone.

"In our job, we oftan have to do things we don't like..." With that, he stepped through the stone, vanishing.

Po growled, staring at the dual gems. He stood silent before rolling his head and groaning, calling to the heavens above.

"Why me? Okay, okay, I know why me, but still... Isn't Redemption one of your creeds?" He waited from an snswer before rummaging around the site for something to use as thread. Finally he managed to make a passable rope out of weeds, tying one crystal to each wrist.

"Here's hoping I'll never need them..."

--

Shifu stired in his small bed, groaning. Slowly, he managed to sit up, rubbing at his side.

"Master Shifu! You're awake!" Viper slid up to the bed, crawling up on the matress. She used her tail to test the alledgedly broken ribs.

Shifu battered her tail away, feeling his own side. Pressing in with his fingers, he readied himself for the pain...

Viper... I'm impressed. You're healing techniques are getting better all the time." Viper reared back slightly. Slowly, and softly she met Shifu's gaze.

"Master... You were never injured..." The old Red Panda half-closed his eyes.

"Viper, after many years of training I know what a broken Rib feels like..."

_Broken Rib..._

"Po said you had a broken Rib but... Well, when I returned with supplies, there was nothing." Shifu jolted upright, shock registering on his ancient face.

"Po? The Dragon Warrior treated me?" Viper said nothing as Shifu made his way to the door. Po? Did he have something to do with Shifu's miraculous healing?

--

Po was the first to notice the Red Panda walk through the door, seemingly none the worse for wear besides a little wear and tear on his robes. Bowing low, he served up a bol of soup as an apology, slinking back towards the door.

"Wait Dragon Warrior..." Po Winced. He would never get used to being called that... Turning round, he tried to act more like usual self.

"Oh man, Master Shifu, you okay? Should you be standing after that beating?" Shifu rose an eyebrow, not glaring or chuckling as he normally would. despite himself, Po felt worried. Shifu wasn't easily distracted.

"Po, How did you learn such moves?" Po stammered before settling down into a mock Kung-Fu stance.

"Well, its all the power of the Panda style Master. I'll be happy to teach it to you one of these days." He knew he was going too far with the teaching jab, but he wasn't thinking straight. The other five gasped, waiting for the inevitable smack with the staff. However, it never came. Shifu narrowed his eyes and took the soup bowl in both hands.

"Yes Po... I would like that..." His eyes kept track of him even as his eyebrows raised in surprise at just how good his cooking really was.

--

Next morning, Po paced within his room, rubbing the gemstones at his wrists. Nobody had seem particularly interested in them, more concerned about shifu's welbeing than some new Jewelery.

Tai Lung. It was more than a coincidence that Ghost gave him those crystals. More than an accident that he hurt Master Shifu. More than coincidence that he paralyed the Red Panda.

Po grimaced. It would have to be today. Knowing Ghost, he wouldn't let him put it off any longer. Rubbing his crystals once more for luck, he stepped outside.

It was still early in the morning. So early, he doubted that even Shifu would be awake. He quietly made his way towards the Master's room, wondering how to approach him with this... Unusual request.

Po tapped on the wooden frame, wondering whether Shifu would even aknolage him after the whole business in the kitchen. However he slid across the door, dressed in a small gown, sleep filling his eyes.

"Po? At this time in the morning, what could you possibly want?" Taking a deep breath, Po wandered in and closed the door behind him.

"I have a... Request Master Shifu..."


	3. Return of the Past

**Thank you to both FalconMage and The Hand of Kane for reviewing. I appreciate it, and I'm glad you both like...**

**Does anyone think I should do a Po/Tai Lung, or Po/Tigress?**

**As for FalconMage's question, his personality will be the same... Just his past will be different. And... Well, When it comes to Tai...**

**How will it be different? Well, read on...**

_STAR STAR STAR STAR_

Shifu looked Po up and down. His normally shining face was set in stone. he had never seen him so serious. Not even...

He turned his back on the Panda, hands clasped behind his back.

"Why?" Po sighed, dragging one paw down his face.

"Its something I have to do... I can't explain any more than that." Po was sitting rigidly, face determind. To tell the truth, he didn't really want to this. Having to see Tai Lung... Having to explain himself... To live through the memories he had long since attempted to bury...

Did he piss Ghost off lately or something?

Shifu sighed, his face troubled. Slowly, he turned round, eyes half-closed. He walked past Po, pausing only to touch his shoulder lightly.

"Go."

--

The sun was just peeking over the mountains and no more when Po wandered into the kitchen. Snatching a few choice items, he rammed them into a canvas bad before moving over to the oven and sticking his arm behind it. He always kept such a thing for emergancies...

Pulling out his arm, he grinned at the large black pot, with its lid tightly tied shut and sealed with some rock dust solidified around the rim. He carefully lowered it into the bag, protecting it from the other objects with cloths and rags.

Next he ventured into the courtyard. The edge of the sun was painting the ground a brilliant gold, washing away all taints and stains... At least, until the glare died away. Then you would see the broken stones, the blood stains, the results of wear, tear and abuse.

Abuse...

He grunted.

"Gods, when did I get all Melodramatic..." He shifted the bag over his shoulder just as he heard Shifu wake the other Masters with a gong. Grinning, he began to whistle as he made his way down the stairs. No morning training to day!

Even back at the Acadamy he was lazy.

When out of sight of the Palace, he grinned. He had wanted to do this for ages now...

Leaping up, he summoned rock fragments to coat his feet as he landed on the edge of the stair he was on. Stretching out the rock to a flatter shape, like a board, he leaned forward...

Gravity took over quickly, pulling the Panda downhll at an increasing velocity. Wind whipped through his fur as he picked up speed, hunching down to reduce resistance, tongue poking out of his mouth as his eyes lit up. He hadn't done this since he was two hundred!

Kicking off from the stairs, he flipped the "Board" around before landing again, waving his hand in the air.

"Whoo-HOO!" He began to slalam, weaving to and fro on the stone steps, juddering all the while. From the corn er of his eye he could see a large outcrop of rock, prfectly positioned as a ramp...

The temptation was too much. Shifting his weight, he headed stright for it, building up to terrifying speeds before shooting off the edge and into the clear blue sky.

Po closed his eyes, feling Gravity's embrace around him, pulling him down to the Earth below. Closing his arms over his chest, he began to twist and turn in the air, flipping and spinning. Metres from the solid ground, he flipped right side up, spread his arms and bent his knees before impact. His legs were stabbed with needle-like pains before fading, a mix of euphoria and concern on the Panda's face. The end of the stairs were far closer than he had thought they would be...

Leaping back into the air, he twisted his legs alone, the board shattering back into small stones litterng the steps as Po dropped down to the stone below. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward...

Only for another needle-attack to strike his leg.

Po froze for an instant before bitting his paw hard, rubbing his leg, hoping to get some of the circulation back round. His other leg wasn't fearing much better, and he had to stamp it on the ground several times. Unfortunatly, his Healing powers couldn't work on anything less than broken bones or bruised flesh. A case of pins-and-needles didn't qualify.

But _gods_ did it hurt...

--

Po walked stiffly though the village after that, carefully by-passing the noddle shop. No one other than the Masters in the Jade palace would be up at this hour, but it paid to be careful. Eventually, he made it to the village entrance. Taking one half-hearted look behind him, he set out towards the Thread of Hope...

--

A pair of eyes watched as the Panda shifted the bag on his shoulder and set off at a quick pace. A low growl rumbled in the watcher's throat as the eyes pulled back.

Vlaer made his way back to the encampment, scowling at the guards as they hurridly pulled back their spears to allow him to enter the quickly built fort outside the Peace Valley. The Fox army had spent three days and three nights forced construction in order to build it before the supplies came. And what supplies...

He watched as the non-warriors, the _tekneeshuns_ as they were called, scurried from one tent to the other, carrying boxes of useless metal scraps and strange creations. Peering through into one of the tents, he snorted as he saw one of his warriors clad in one of these new strange armours their leader had ordered to be dug up.

Centuries, no, _millenia_ of being stored underground had distored the once shining metal to a dull gleam behind layers of brown. Only the emblem seemed to be unaffected, resembling a trident with a longer middle prong, the other two curling in on themselves. The warrior screamed as the last peice was placed on his flesh, sharp spikes shooting through his skin. He didn't understand how or why, but this allowed the warrior to c_ontrol_ the armour itself... Other tents had small hand held creations that summoned something akin to lightning to be unleahed on your foe... Small egg like objects that exploded with enoug furocity to destroy mountains... Large metallic animals that moved without beast to drag them...

Vlaer muttered a quick prayer for him. All those who were bonded to the armour gained incredible strength, awesome agility, power... However... All who were bonded seemed to lose their souls, becoming little more than dolls for the Generals to play with. They would seem alright at first. Still the same. Laughing, joking, arguing, gambling... But the longer they wore it... The less they became until... Until nothing was left.

So far, no one had dared disobey the Lord's order to keep the armour on at all times. Shelfish as it may be, Vlaer was glad that generals were exempt from the trials, pitying the poor souls who were, more oftan than not, forced into the abominations...

Vlaer moved on quickly to the command tent. There, his fellow Generals hung around a map of the area, as well as their leader...

Hanyu.

Vlaer quickly dropped to his knees, in a posture of total submittance. Hanyu watched him out of the corner of her eye, letting him stay like that for a few moments before becconing him closer to the table.

"We've identified all possible entrance and exit routes of the Valley. How goes your observation?" Vlaer kept his eyes at the ground while speaking, as befit a warrior when addressing his leader.

"I saw one leave the Valley, with a pack. I doubt he will return before long." Hanyu waved her hand dismissively.

"Then he can be ignored. He will be the lucky one."

The blue-fox sighed and looked back down at the map. Violet eyes narrowing, she straightened, looking over her Generals.

"Leave me. Not you Vlaer. I want to know more about this traveller." Vlaer kept his face neutral while the Generals filed out, one after another, closing the tent over behind them. When Vlaer secured it from the inside, Hanyu strode over to him and grabbed his scruff forcibly, clashing their lips together. Vlaer grinned as he felt her claws dig into the back of his neck, his own paws dancing over her form. Eventually the pair split apart, gasping for breath. Regaining her composure, Hanyu picked up her blade and secured it around her waist.

"What kept you?" Vlaer said nothing, simply assisting Hanyu with her own armour. The emblem of the Fox empire stood out proudly on her chest plate, gleaming metal coating her dark fur. When the last plate was clicked into place, she sighed. Vlaer carefully nuzzled the back of her neck, murmering to her softly. Reaching round, she stroked his hand on her shoulder before leaning back.

"Invasion. War. Corruption. Desolation. Invasion. Is this our lot in life? The Proud Fox Empire as a parasitical scavanger?" Vlaer said nothing. She may be his lover, his love, but she was still the Princess of the Empire... Her father would have him flayed alive if he found out about them, let alone about him questioning their Lord's wishes.

Even if he did agree with her.

He leaned in softly, arms clasped around her stomach.

"I promise... one day. No more wars..." He inhaled deeply, tail flicking. Hanyu took a deep breath and broke away from him, opening up the tent. Immediatly Vlaer's face went into careful neutrality. Just another soldier...

--

Po continued on his way, oblivious to his past resurrecting itself behind him, eyes trained ahead of him towards the future.

God, this felt good... When did he last go outside the Valley proper? Two, three hundred years ago? Whatever, it felt good to be out again. The sun was higher in the sky, now hurtful to look at for too long. Lush green mountains spread before him, running water meeting his ears and dancing birds in the air graced his eyes. Po chuckled to himself, letting the sheer vibrant vitality wash over him. Never underestimate Life's determination to survive. He could still remember this land as the last green area on the planet, and even then "Green" was simply an expression. The most successful plantlife was some sort of parasitic vine that thrived on Pollution. A sickly black, purple colour.

Po kept up a steady pace towards the nearest Village. Now he was down from the mountains, his lack of fitness wasn't an issue. The ground was flat here, and if needed he could simply keep walking for miles upon miles. Most people forget that overweight people had more energy to burn than "Normal" people.

Passing through plains and over Rivers, he eventually came across a small village. Grining at the head smell of woodsmoke, he journeyed deeper into the village...

Only to stop dead in his tracks, jaw gaping open and his hands shaking.

"Look! It has to be a gift from the gods! Look at this!" A villager walked upto a large, overpacked cart and gripped the underneath of it. With seemingly little effort he lifted it over his head, the ancient wood creaking in protest.

"And thats not all! My back has completly healed! No more aches in the morning!"

The village was wearing a suit of armour, dulled by the years but still recognisable. On the back was an icon Po had hoped he had seen the last of...

A Triangle with three dots representing another triangle cocked 45 degrees within it.

Po managed to gain control of his hands and began to move towards the villager. When he came close enough, certain senses he forgot he had reared up. The armour must be practically running of fumes if he needed to get this close to detect it. That was bad. The Armour would be looking for fuel...

And unfortunatly for the Villager, it had found some.

Po bt his lip, wondering what to do. Certainly he couldn't allow the Armour to continue feeding on the poor guy... But he couldn't tell them what it really was either. After wraking his brains, he finally came up with an answer, ginning at his own creativity.

Superstition. All these villagers were highly supersticious, creating wards against spirits, giving offering to gods... All he had to really do was... Twist the truth a little...

--

Shi-Lan grinned madly as the cart dangled on one finger above his head. A Gift from the Gods...After all his devotion and sacrifice! Now he could produce more than enough food to feed his family this year.

However, he soon noticed a pair of eyes staring at him. Of course, the entire village was out to observe, but he didn't recognise these ones...

Po stepped forward, hands contorted into a complex image, like many of the Priests and Monks that travelled the land frequently. He bowedlow before stepping forward, running a hand over the cool metal.

Shi-Lan stepped back, lowering the cart back to the ground. The metal tingled on his skin as the stranger approached. Almost like a warning.

"Yes? What can I do for you stranger?" Po lifted his hand up in a gesture of peace before running his hand over the armour again. Another tingle, larger this time.

"Do you have any idea what this is sir?" Shi-Lan burst into a smile, showing off the new armour.

"Yes, a Gift from the most generous gods!" The Panda chuckled to himself sadly.

"I'm afraid not... I know Demon Armour when I see it." Shi-Lan's face flickered.

"D-Demon Armour?" Po's eyes dulled slightly.

"Yes... Tell me sir, do you feel... Tired? Strangely exhausted?" Shi-Lan opened his mouth to say of course not, but something stopped him. Now that the Panda mentioned it, he did feel tired.

"I... Its... I was lifting the cart. Obviously-"

"Its feeding on you sir. Feeding on your spirit."

Shi-Lan's eyes widened and dripped the edge of the nearest plate of armour, tuging at it. However, while it went on easily enough, that wasn't to say it would come off... He panicked, tearing at his own skin in an attempt to remove the acurssed armour.

"It won't come off!" The Panda placed a finger over his lips as he ran his other hand over the armour.

"I can remove it, but you must be silent..." Shi-Lan nodded furiously, body shaking.

--

Po felt around the hidden catches for the armour and gently tugged at them. Nothing. The years spent in the ground warped the release catches until they were no use to anyone.

"This demon is strong..." He disliked playing on the Villager's fear like that, but he needed to get the message across. This armour is bad news.

Po hesitated before pulling back. The only way to get this thing off was...

"This demon is the strongest I've ever faced... I'll have to use some powerful Magic to remove it." The Villagers started muttering to themselves at that last phrase, rearing back a little. Magic users were a little distrusted in these parts.

Po placed an open palm on the metal, a violet haze seeping from his fingers.

_Ookay... Metal is only a refined version of Earth... Right? Right._

He felt through the sleek metallic exterior, peering deeper into the metal casing. His powers skittered over circuits, recoiling from the energy within.

_You can do this Po... After all, you are THE awesomeness... Nothing you can't do, right? Right..._

The violet energy seeped through the metal until it came to the release catches, flowing down to the links between flesh and metal. Gritting his teeth, he placed another hand on the villager, seeting up for a tranfer.

With a sudden twist of the hand the armour cracked and sparked.

"Watch out! Its trying to fight back!"

_Damn right... Okay, the bio-linkage system... Then the power resivoir..._

Po moved through the armour methodically, severing all connection between mortal and machine. Finally, the armour shattered, littering the ground. Po caught the villager as he began to fall, still trembling. This time, not in fear, but of severe lack of energy. Po grumbled, sending a little of his own energy into the boar letting out a sigh of relief as he stirred.

"Take him. Place him somewhere quiet. He needs to sleep."

He bent down and scooped up a shard of the armour. Ironically, the icon of the dual triangles was untouched. He turned to the villagers, waving the icon in hand.

"I'll take this... Melt down the rest of the metal and burry it, along with any other items found near it..."

Po quickly left before anyone could say anything else. Looks like he was sleeping outdoors tonight. Not that he cared. He was used ot hardships long before even the Jade Palace came into being.

--

That night, Po tossed and turned in his sleep. The Icon winked at him near the fire, whispering into his dreams. Forcing him to remember...

_Water... Everywhere. No air..._

_Voices... Pain... Light..._

--

**"Its amazing... You've done it Doctor... The Chaos Strain..." Doctor Evert grinned as the computer began pouring out details of their newest project. High endurance, High stamina, High strength, speed, skill...**

**Evert had done the impossible. He had improved on Mother Nature... The Choas Strain of DNA was now born... With a little help from his own DNA.**

**The cub, barely two days old, sat up and began to cry, eyes closed against the harsh light, demanding to be fed. Evert glanced at his creation, his "son" and narrowed his eyes.**

**"Silence. We have much bigger plans for you than burping and changing nappies..." He flicked up a protective screen on the computer terminal before him and fingered a bright red button before pushing it firmly with his thumb.**

**Immediatly, millions of volts of electricity coursed though the Cub's body...**

**--**

**The cub stared at the Mechs before him with unflinching eyes. Each of the Armoured Men were aremed to the teeth with guns, blades and grenades, and each had lost themselves to the Armour's influence.**

**The Cub was now five years old, many scars and signs of abuse all over his body. He glared at each of the warriors in turn, examining weaponry, stances, equipment...**

**The Lights went out.**

_**One**_

_**Two**_

_**Three**_

_**Four**_

_**Five**_

_**Six**_

_**Seven**_

_**Eight**_

_**Nine**_

_**Ten**_

**The Lights went back on.**

**All thirty warriors were spread over the room, the walls coated in bright crimson blood. Limbs, machinery and one or two unidentifiably body parts littered the floor. And in the centre, black and white fur untouched by the carnage around them lay the five year old.**

**Unarmed.**

--

Po sat up sharply, gasping and clenching his fists tight enough to send trickles of blood to the hard rock below. Slowly, he managed to get his breathing under control but his body still shook.

That... Damned armour... Brought back memories... Memories he'd rather forget.

He glanced at the small icon, sitting on its own rock near the fire. He snatched up up, examinging the symbol. Slowly, half-unawae he was doing it, he moved his hand to his chest, just over his heart.

Moving the fur aside, he felt the raised flesh...

A triangle made of dots inside another Triangle.

Po's face suddenly twisted into one of incredible rage. With a savage snarl he clenched his fist, the metal quickly buckling and screwed up into a tiny ball of useless metal. The Panda tossed it into the flames, wishing he could just incinerate it and be done with it...

_The TriCenturians..._


	4. An Old Friend

**Well. A sudden brainstorm hit me earlier on. So, there will be NO Tai/Po pairing besides friendship... Well, as friendly as those two can get.**

**Trust me, it will be too wierd. Sorry to anyone who was counting on it.**

**So instead, lets see who should get the heart of Tigress... Po, or Tai Lung? Or even Monkey? You decide my friends... She could even remain single.**

_STAR STAR STAR STAR_

Vlaer watched as the Sun rose over the large mountainside from the small window of the tent, the golden light spreading everywhere, cleansing everything it touched. It reached the top of the Jade Palace, illumiating the dojo from behind like a celestrial temple. The Valley of Peace was hailed as the most beautiful, most serene, most carefree land on the entire planet...

And then they came.

It would be a sacrilege to invade a land dedicated to creating peace between people. Yet he had his orders.

Now shed of his armour and underclothes, you could see his body more clearly. His fur was a golden orange apart from his stomach up to his neck which was purest white. His tail was a little longer than most Foxes, reaching the tips of his ears when pressed against his spine. The years of serving in the Imperial Army had molded his physique into a well muscled, lean and handsomely proportioned body. Back in the training camps, quite a few of the female recruits had dreams about sharing a tent with him...

But the warrior training came with a price. A long, ragged dull pink scar ran down his face and chest, curving over the brow of his right eye, avoiding his neck altogether, and continued down his chest, almost reaching his navel. A "Souvenir" from a previous campain. He later killed the Ape that gave it to him. His eyes were deep blue, almost like a fresh Sapphire dug up from the ground. As the sun rose, they began to well up. But the training did more than harden his body. He hadn't cried in ten years. He would not show weakness now.

Hanyu came up behind him, reaching round his bare chest, her legs pressing against the back of his knees and placing her head in the crook between neck and chin, watching the sunrise with him. Her fur a rich, dark grey, like wood ash, with generous curves in all the right places, slender fingers that gently traced Vlaer's scar, and a smal pink tongue that flicked out to touch at the base of his ear, making him shudder. But she too had been sculpted by her people's training facilities. Her arms were far stronger than they appeared, and she could keep up with the best of warriors.

Namely, Vlaer.

She was obviously naked, her tail coiling round Vlaer's protectively. She was having the same thoughts as him. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of visiting the Peace Valley, to study the way of negotiation, to learn how to preserve peace for the sake of her people... Now she was here to destroy it.

Funny thing irony.

"It begins today..." Vlaer said nothing, not trusting himself to speak without his voice breaking. He too worshiped the ideals of peace, and longed to study here under the great Masters; Oogway and Shifu. Just to witness the Furious Five in action would be an honour. Finally, he managed to find his voice.

"Shall I awaken the army my Lady?" Hanyu gave him a sad smile, nuzzling into his chin.

"No... Let them sleep a little longer..." With that she tugged on his arm, dragging him back to the "bedroom"...

--

Po woke up, a small trail of smoke coiling up towards the black, heavy clouds above. Grunting, he sat up, waving his hands at the embers. A small pile of dirt rose up and poured over the smouldering wood, putting it out completely. He rubbed his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes before wrinkling his nose. Sniffing at his arm, he made a face, looking down at himself.

"Urgh... I need water..."

He lucked out. Finding a small mountian hot spring running down to the valley below, he gratefully stripped and dived in. Relaxing in the shallow water, he looked down at his floating bulk, barely able to see over himself. Cocking an eybrow, he sat up in the water, placing his hand under his mouth. A slow trickle of rock dust poured out, collecting in his hand before being sweapt away by the wind. He tapped his ample stomach twice, then looked towards the small amount of grains still left on his hand.

Making a quick decision, he heaved himself out of the water and dropped to all fours. Opening his mouth wide, a steady stream of dust tumbled out, making clouds that hid him from any peeping tom that may come along. However, when he thought he was finished, it just kept coming...

_Jesus, I knew it was a lot, but not this much!_

Eventually he was left with a large pile of rock dust...

And one slim(er) body.

Now that the dust was gone, you could see his proper proportions. Lean and muscular but not overly so. There was still a paunch to him that would never have been there four hundred years ago, so he was still nowhere near as lean as any of the other Masters, but he was still a lot thinner than earlier. His cheeks were the noticable change, slimmer and with a more profound jawline. And that wasn't mentioning the lower half of the body...

Perhaps if he slowed his progress a little, made up a few imaginary bandits he could get away with this sudden change?

Nah.

For a start, his trousers wouldn't fit.

Slinking back into the water, he submerged beneath the liquid, a few bubbles the only hint he was there.

--

Hanyu rode past on her horse, fully coated in her gold trimmed armour with the Fox crest on her chest.

It resembled a muzzle in the loosest sense of the word, a blotch of ink swept into a face with graceful curves and lines. A skilled calligrapher must have been paid a lot of money, or threatened, by her father in order to make such a work of art. She was betting on the latter.

Behind her and to the right was her most trusted General, Vlaer, his fur shining in the morning sun. She snapped her fingers and a scribe stepped forward, ready with a wet pen. Taking a few moments to gather her thought's, she began to dictate.

"_To the Inhabitants of the Valley of Peace._

_Surrender yourselves at once to the Fox Empire. I, Princess Hanyu of the Royal Family, will gauantee your safety if you put up no resistance._"

She paused to think as the Generals muttered to themselves behind her. Surrender wasn't an option... Vlaer manuvoured his steed closer to the Generals, talking to them in a stage whisper.

"The Valley is also home to the Furious Five if I recall... Plus their new Dragon Warrior. She knows they won't surrender..." The generals settled back, satisfied. Vlaer bit his tongue in order not to pull a face. Those egotistical warmongers... And these are the ones to lead our people? The sooned that old Warlord back home died, the better.

Meanwhile, Hanyu had resumed her dictation.

"_However... If anyone takes arms against our forces, I'm afraid that blows will be exhanged, and you shall feel our full might, which I assure you is considerable. Your Kung-Fu Masters will become our prisoners either way, but if they submit without incident, I assure their wellbeing._"

She paused once more, looking to the heavens as if in prayer. Closing her eyes, she murmered a quick plea to the gods unheard by her generals or scribe.

**Gods, forgive me what I'm abut to do...**

"_You have two hours to meet our demands._ Send it."

The scribe bowed low and summoned a young messanger, handing over the scroll after sealing it with the Princess's seal. A pair of paws placed together, as if in Prayer.

As the young fox ran to the Jade Palace, only Vlaer saw the single tear fall down her cheek.

--

Po crawled out of the water, enjoying the natural agility he now possessed now that he no longer had that bulk inside him.

"Now, why did I do that in the first place?" He sat on the water's edge, feet splashing in the warm spring, fully exposed and without a care in the world. He shrugged, not in the mood to dig up ancient history and leaned back on his arms, watching the clouds boil in the sky above. A storm was building, but it would be a few hours before it hit. He'd be at the Prison long before then. He dug his fingers into the soft earth, feeling the movement on it, through it, beneath it. He could feel the resonance of ancient stone deep underground as well as the singing of newly formed crystals and gems. The towering mountains nearby were a low droning, a testament to eternity. Closing his eyes, he sighed, a smile crawling over his face. The first time he had a chance to relax since he became Shifu's student...

His fingers twitched. Then he sat up, eyes opening slowly, fingers burrowing deeper into the soil. His eyes, now a vivid violet, were focused, concentrating as he sought out... Yes, there it was...

Many footsteps. All in time, like a parade... Or march. Heading into the Valley...

He inhaled sharply, considering his next move. Tai Lung, or the Valley? On one hand, he had Tai Lung; the most vicious, brutal, merciless fighter on Earth... And on the other, the entire Valley, home to many innocent people, including his fellow Masters and "father". But then again, the Masters were formidable warriors long before he came along. Although there were a _lot_ of footsteps... He bit his lip, glancing back the way he came and towards the Prison. Valley. Prison. Valley. Prison...

Pulling on his trousers, inhaling the dust pile once more, he searched nearby for something long and thin. Eventually he found a discarded branch, worn smooth by years of tumbling over rocks and water. Rubbing it softly, he made a notch on one side and tossed it into the air, watching as it fell back to earth. When it finished clattering, his eyes followed the notch mark.

To Chi-Tai Prison...

Sighing, he glanced back behind them, whispering a quick prayer of protection. Snatching back up the stick and his bag, he made his way towards the Lesser Prison, leaving the Valley to its own fate.

--

Shifu lowered the scroll carefully, his eye latching on to the young Fox in the middle of the courtyard. He was barely out of Cubhood, only sixteen if he was any judge. Far too young to be conscripted into an army. Sniffing, he carefully laid the scroll to the side, as if it would explode like a firework if mistreated. The Furious Five were sitting behind him, each staring at the fox with neutral expressions, although Tigress's was perhaps a little more hostile than the others.

The Fox's tail was twisting to and fro over the stone, fully aware of his own exposed position. He opened his mouth to speak, fell silent, then took another breath,

"Great Master Shifu... Please consider it. You have _no _idea what my people have in store..." Shifu said nothing, boring into the boy with that piercing stare of his. It was a technique he long since developed. When they were surrounded by silence, people oftan tried to break it with noise, any noise. Even by speaking what they normally would not speak.

"Our Lord has recovered great weapons that were lost in time. Please, your warriors are good, but you cannot fight them and live! Please!" Shifu held up his hand, silencing the young cub. After thinking through his words carefully, he stood up and guided the fox back outside.

"We cannot stand by and let Peace, the very virtue after which our home was created, be destroyed without our attempting to save it. Return to your Princess. Inform her that the Masters will stay here. However, I would appreciate if our civillians would be evacuated before the battle began..."

The fox stammered, almost whimpering as they reached the towering steps.

"Master Shifu, please reconsider... Taking on the Fox Empire army is, is... Is _Madness_!" Shifu allowed himself a small grin, placing his hand on the young Fox's shoulder.

"What is your name young fox?" The boy lowered his gaze, taking in every detail of the the ground and both his and Master Shifu's feet. Finally, he managed to meet the Red Panda's gaze, mumbling.

"Soone sir." Shifu smiled and opened the doors with a wave of his staff.

"Well Soone... I hope, for your people's sake, that the Dragon Warrior does not return before we defeat you. I can say with experiance that he has quite a kick on him..." He stepped back to the Jade Palace, his ears drooping once the doors were closed and the fox on his way. Taking a deep breath, he called to his students.

"... Tell the Villagers. We must evacuate the Valley. Again." As the Five hurried off to carry out his orders, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Lost in time?"

--

Chi-Tai Prison. A bleak place, situated at the bottom of a deep cavern with only one way up the smooth, highly polished rock face. Home to three hundred of the country's worst felons. Multiple murder. Rape. Child Abuse. Arson. You name it, they'll be someone here.

Including Tai Lung.

Since Chor-Gom was destroyed in the Snow Leopard's escape, when he was recovered they had nowhere to place him. Chi-Tai was the only place which could possibly hold him until a new, more secure prison was built for him. Very few people visited, and even then it was only to drop off supplies or new prisoners. No one has asked to meet a prisoner.

Until now.

Po stood silent in the small wooden two-man lift, running his hand over the unnaturally smooth rock as he decended. The cavern was so deep that natural sunlight couldn't reach it. The guards made do with torches, lanterns and, when conditions were favorable, mirrors. The guards were all large, brutish beasts. Rhinos, Oxen, Elephants and the like. Even a few Pandas like himself. Not one sleek, lean, athletic guard in the place... Just like Chor-Gom. And look how that one turned out.

The Bear assigned to him led the way, a flaming torch held high. When they passed several crowed cells the inmates shouted and jeered, banging on the metal bars, or throwing objects. Without taking his eyes off the back in front of him, Po knocked several of these out the air before they reached him. One or two depressed faces looked out, eyes blank. The innocents, wrongly accused and forced to do anything in order to survive in this hell-hole. As he watched, one bat, with a scar travelling down and over one eye, reached out and placed a hand over one's chest, pulling him back gently with a leering look in his remaining eye. Just as Po was about to leave the main cells, he stamped down hard on the ground. In the cell, a pillar of rock shot up between the bat's legs, making him hunch over and topple to the ground, gripping himself and groaning in pain. Before the guards on duty could see anything, he sank the rock back down, a proud smile on his face.

He had a thing about Rapists.

The bear opened the door to a winding staircase, cut into the rock itself. While Po felt compltely at ease, the bear was another story.

"Gods, I hate this post... I keep having nightmares about Cave-ins..." Po nodded, understanding. He had similar nightmares once upon a time. Before he got used to his new powers. After ten more minutes of silence, he spoke up again. It seemed that in his nervousness, he needed to talk, or whistle, or do something to get his mind off the mountain's worth of rock hanging above them.

"So... You're here to see Tai Lung?"

"Yeah. He's... Well, lets say he's my responsibility." The bear nodded, not really listening and glancing at the celing every once in a while. Eventually Po took pity on him.

"Look, go on back to the surface. I can take it from here." His eyes flashed with gratitude, desperate to get out of here and grateful for the chance, but he was a loyal guard who lived his life by the book. He shook his head and held up a strange key. It was a rod of stone, with several pits and points on it. A certain combonation would be needed to open the cell door, and only the key could move the massive stone tumblers.

At least, thats what they thought.

At last they reached the bottom of the stairwell, one door cut into the rock itself. Five stone bars, as thick as Po was wide and twice as tall as him. In the centre of the door was a hole for the key. Po turned his back while the Bear struggled to turn the tumblers in the combination lock, recoiling everytime a slab sunk back into the wall with a grating slam of stone against stone. When all five were removed, Po stepped forward.

"I'd like some time alone with him please." The bear opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. There was look in the Panda's eyes that said he wouldn't take no for an answer. Telling him he'd be on the stairs, he opened it up and backed away slowly. Inwardly, Po rolled his eyes. If this was how they reacted to _him_, how would they cope with Tai Lung...

--

Hanyu gripped the table in front of her when she heard what the messanger had to say. She hadn't thought they would take her offer, but for the sake of her consience, she had to try. Nodding to Vlaer, she sent him off to monitor the evacuation of the Valley. Then the messanger dropped the bombshell.

"What?!" The messanger recoiled, head bowed low.

"The Dragon Warrior left yesterday morning your Highness! Something about a Prison..." Hanyu growled deeply, almost striking the cub. Taking a few deep breaths, she remembered that old saying "Don't kill the messanger". Truth be told, she heard about this traveller, but Vlaer had given her a detailed description. Surely that _fatso_ wasn't their Dragon Warrior? She waved the messanger out, much to his relief, before calling on her Generals once more. Master Shifu was one of the best warriors in China. Possibly _the_ best since Oogway passed away. If he said the Panda was his student, then student he was. Still, it was kinda hard to believe.

After explaining the fact the Dragon Warrior was out of the Valley for an unknown time to her generals, they advised on attacking immediatly. Hanyu bit her lip before creating an excuse : The evacuation of the Villagers. The faces of the war veterans stiffened, before they bowed and left, a few choice curses escaping their mouths. As the last General left, the material of the door flying behind him, Vlaer only just managed to move out of the way of the scowling leader and he rose an eyebrow in silent question.

"That Panda was their new warrior... Gone to a Prison for some reason." Vlaer clicked his tongue, thinking.

"Well, sorry to say I've got some more bad news... The Villagers refuse to leave. They know the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior will protect them. And they're gonna help fight." Hanyu groaned and crossed her arms on the table, placing her head on them. Her voice was muffled as Vlaer moved up, a slight smile creeping over his lips at his love's slightly childish actions.

"Urgh... I hate my life..." She rose up slightly as he leaned over, resting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Try to delay the forces as much as possible without raising suspicion... I told the other Generals to wait until the evacuation was over..." Vlaer nodded once, turning to make his way out. Before he left though, he reached up with his tail and gripped hers in his, trying to reassure her that everything would be alright before ducking under the canvas.

--

Po squinted, letting his eyes get used to the darkness where no light belonged. In the shadows created by the flickering torch held behind his head, he made out a shape bound to the walls. As his pupils widened he could see that Tai-Lung's arms, legs and tail was stuck in holes in the wall, with heavy iron and stone bracelets over them attached to the wall with iron chains, steel pegs screwed tightly into his flesh. A steel collar was wrapped around his neck, hunching him over as it pulled his head down. With a slight wave of his hand, Po felt the huge rock at the opposite end of the chain swinging within a large bottemless pit. He could also smell the blood the screws caused to drip to the floor.

He was also, very plainly, asleep.

Who would have thought that Snow Leopards snored?

Lowering his pack to the ground, he sat down, crossing his legs, waiting for the Snow Leopard to wake...

_STAR STAR STAR STAR_

**Remember Soone... Not a major character, but he has one last task to do before the end of this fic... And If I get it right, it may tug on a few heartstrings...**


	5. Prince in Chains

**The votes are in! This is now a Tigress/Po Story! But the actual romance part will have to wait a while... Got a really good idea for that as a one-shot, but first on with the story.**

**Now things get interesting... Oh, before you go on, this chapter is going to be violent... As in plenty of blood. Also, Tai may seem a little AU, but I promise to get him back into his usual, self-assured cocky self quite soon. But first, some questions will be answered.**

**Like; how did Po get his powers?**

**And also, what are these strange weapons the Fox Empire are using? Where did they get them from?**

**For some extra back story to Po's history, I suggest you read Twilightgirl's "That Moonlit Night". She's a great writer, great friend, and has captured Ghost's persona better than I could! Little Loki is pretty cute as well!**

**XD**

**Eternal thanks go to Luna Goldsun, for beta-reading this chapter and for guiding me down a **_**better**_** path for this fic!**

**Read on... More answers next chapter...**

_STAR STAR STAR STAR_

Po watched as Tai Lung's chest rose and fell with the simple effort of breathing. The restraints were nearly killing him as they stretched his body, leaving him no slack to relax with. It was a wonder how he had survived the Wuxi Finger Hold in the first place. By all rights, he should be dead. But Po had to admit he was relieved when he learned the snow leopard's fate. He had killed in the past, and enjoyed it _far_ too much. Since he had been "rescued", he swore never to kill again. Perhaps he was lucky enough not to have preformed it properly, or maybe Tai Lung had more stamina than he had originally thought.

He took out a small bundle of wood shavings and a pair of logs, setting up a small cooking circle. Using the torch to light the fire, he embedded the burning wood in the ground behind him, sitting down to poke at the kindling and coals.

----

The first thing Tai Lung noticed was the light. Harsh and bright, it stabbed at his eyes like little needles, making him squint and recoil after being chained to the darkness for the past several weeks.

The second was the faint scent of wood smoke, as if someone were cooking. A heady yet nostalgic aroma, bringing to mind images of earlier times, untroubled by the prospect of being the Dragon Warrior, or simply being any warrior at all, drifted through his mind like incense smoke. For a moment, he forgot the third thing...

Which was the heavy rock attached to his throat. If his feet were free, he would have dropped to his knees in an effort to remove some of the pressure on the back of his neck. He only had to be thankful for the fact that it wasn't attached _to_ the back of his neck or he'd have a lot more to worry about.

Po lifted the lid off the small pot he retrieved from the Jade Palace's kitchen, wafting some of the steam towards his face, making an appreciative noise in the back of his throat. A few stray wisps danced around Tai Lung's nostrils, making his stomach twist and groan. Unable to control himself, he let out a small whimper, almost a kitten-like mewl, as he relished the highly palatable scent. Po glanced up, a small smile on his face before taking out a ladle and a bowl from his bag.

"Here. I don't suppose they feed you too well down here." He poured out a generous helping of his famous Noodle Soup, adding in a few choice vegetables after eyeing Tai Lung's partially malnourished form.

The snow leopard had definitely seen better days. His normally bright eyes were dulled, his whiskers were drooped and his fur lost the lustre he had somehow managed to maintain even when in Chor-Gom. His ribs were slightly noticeable, almost alarmingly so, and his tail looked more like a matted, wet hemp rope than anything else. Although, that last one was possibly down to the leopard's bite than lack of food and sunlight. Swallowing hard, Tai Lung struggled to place voice to face, the figure only illuminated from behind by one of the Guard's torches. Finally, it clicked and he reared back as much as he could in his bonds, attempting to act respectful.

"Dragon Warrior." Po stood up, Tai's eyes getting used to the light and were now making out the dual colours on the warrior's fur. However, he instead focused on the bowl held out in front of him, steam curling in the air and a smell straight from heaven assaulted his nose. Was this a new tactic to keep him under control? Torture him with such delicious food while... He glanced down at his bonds, flexing his fist a little, causing the metal chains to clink against one another.

Po followed the leopard's gaze, staring at the restraints placed on the leopard's body and cocked an eyebrow. Closing his eyes, his brow furrowed in thought, a guilty expression on his face as he knew he was partly responsible for the feline's fate.

"Honestly, how do they expect you to eat with all this on?" He placed his palm out in front of him and inhaled deeply. With a sudden exhale, the stone on his bonds slid back, the steel retreated and the boulder down below lifted up to embed itself in the cell's floor. The screws loosened and dropped to the ground, tinkling in the darkness as Tai Lung pulled out his arms, legs and tail, sinking gratefully to his knees. Po hunched down, waving the bowl under his nose, chuckling as it was snatched out of his hands. Before the famished feline could scald himself on the piping hot food, Po handed him some chopsticks and a spoon, settling down to wait.

Once he was satisfied, inhaling three more helpings, Tai managed to focus on his apparent freedom. Swaying slightly, he picked up one of the accursed shackles from where it dangled against the wall, noticing that the stone had been removed and the steel twisted. However the Dragon Warrior hadn't even touched him. He didn't even have the key. Licking the last few dribbles of soup from his whiskers, he stepped towards the Panda...

Po tensed slightly; already ready for the swing he was certain to come. He felt as if he deserved it after using the accursed Wuxi Finger Hold... However he nearly dropped to the floor in shock when the leopard placed one clenched fist against an open palm in the usual greeting to a Master. Clearing his throat, he now realised why Ghost hated his titles so much. It was slightly embarrassing.

"That's enough, Tai Lung... I'm nobody's master." Tai Lung only bowed deeper before settling down, kneeling on the ground. Po rolled his eyes in the darkness, before placing his paws on his hips.

"Okay, you treat me as a Master, now act like it. I order you to be _comfortable_..."

Tai stayed in his position for a few seconds before sighing in relief, preferring to sit cross-legged instead. For the first time he met the panda's eyes, his own golden eyes dulled to an unpolished bronze. Even the fire from the torch seemed eerily subdued in his pale yellow eyes. Clearing his throat, he winced as his neck complained of such hot food being poured down it after so long.

"Master... Panda." Po shook his head. First he was trying to kill him, now he was acting like he was his mentor... Could his life get any weirder?

Grunting to himself, he realised that it probably could.

"It's Po, Tai Lung. Just Po. Now, let's talk..." Tai stared up at him, an anxious look in his eyes. Po smiled gently, trying to reassure the feline.

"Nothing drastic. Just..." he paused, wondering what to say.

"Just about... Stuff. Like... Stuff," he said weakly. Shaking his head, he leaned against a wall, brow knitted in thought, trying to think of a comforting topic to ease the Leopard's mind.

"So, what was Master Shifu like way back then?" He watched Tai Lung, a wide smile on his face. As Tai Lung cocked an eyebrow, his smile slowly drooped until he cringed a little, wondering why he had to pick such a delicate subject. Of course that would hit a nerve...

"Okay, enough small talk then. Do you like it here, Tai?" Despite the Panda's new Master status, Tai Lung almost roared in laughter, settling for a chuckle.

"Like it? Oh yes, it's _heavenly_..." Po nodded his head, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. All right, he probably deserved that one.

"What would you say if I could get you out? No strings attached, no catch. Just you, me and the lift." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the door for emphasis. Tai blinked slowly before answering in a hushed tone.

"No." Po almost choked, wondering if the gods were playing some sort of game with him. So far, this conversation just wasn't going the way he had envisioned on the way here.

"What? Why?" Tai allowed himself a belly laugh, tears in his eyes. His laughter slowed, turned to a chuckle that eventually descended into sobs. Po stooped down to him and gently placed a paw on his shoulder. Tai almost pulled himself away, for an instant thinking he had an image or honour left to ruin.

"I've been abandoned by my Father. My honour was shredded the moment I turned against Master Oogway. My- My only friends turned their backs on me... I... I'm nothing more than...than some _criminal_... Some low life _scum_! I _deserve_ to be here!" He spat on the ground as Po sat down next to him, realisation dawning. He'd been in a similar state once before. Now he knew why Ghost sent him here. If anyone could understand how the leopard felt, then he could. He reached out and pulled Tai Lung close to him, rubbing the back of his head soothingly. Slowly, with much coaxing from Po, the warrior bent in and sobbed into the panda's fur, deep underground in a place that was as close to Hell as it was possible while still being alive. Placing his arms around his chest, Po held him tight, fully understanding.

Guilt made you feel as if you were damned.

But forgiveness was a blessing.

----

Once composed, wiping the tear tracks from his eyes and silently pleading with the panda never to speak of this again, Tai Lung looked from the bonds to Po and back again. Before he could phrase the question, Po himself gripped the manacle he had earlier examined. He stared at the cold stone and metal, turning it over and over in his hands, eyes unusually focused. After what seemed like an age, he spoke up.

"Funny thing, life. It always has a way of holding on, even when it seems most hopeless." Tai Lung said nothing, sensing that there was more to this discussion than a simple talk about philosophy. He sat rubbing his wrists and ankles, feeling the circulation return proper, his tail curled up behind him. As Po dropped the manacle he turned around, meeting Tai Lung's gaze with a sorrow-filled stare.

"How well did you study your mythology Tai?" The leopard thought for a moment.

"Martial Arts, or the normal kind?"

"The Ancient kind."

Tai Lung shrugged, shaking his head. Po nodded, apparently expecting this. "Okay. It would have made things easier, but it was kinda what I was expecting." He settled down opposite him, fingers tapping a tattoo onto the stone work before him, lost in thought.

"Let me tell you a story Tai Lung... And you tell me the ending."

----

_There is much more in this earth than Mortals like you realise. Plants sprout from tiny seeds into mighty trees... A Child can grow to become a powerful warrior... Worlds within Worlds curl up on each other, hidden from sight, but still there, as a faint pressure in the wind, or a shimmer in a pond... The ground beneath your feet can warp and shift to unrecognisable forms in a matter of hours..._

_And that's only what can you see, or sense. What is hidden from you would be enough to turn those black spots of yours white... Trust me on this._

_There is a war. A war, with Mortals as the prize. One side fights for salvation. The other destruction. As they do._

_The Guardians... Master of the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Thunder and Light. Protectors of all life, in all of creation. Sworn to uphold the Oath promised to the Gods to preserve the delicate balance that allows all things to exist. Although, I have to say, sometimes even they fall off the wagon from time to time. They were all once mortal, and so, they tend to tip the balance in their favor slightly._

_Then, you have the Defilers. Just as the name suggests, they taint and corrupt all things sacred... They twist and distort the very laws that govern Life itself; stealing souls, torturing children, condemning entire Worlds to death as they drain the precious Pulse from beneath their crusts... The Defilers are numerous; Control the Element of Darkness and every year, more and more Guardians switch sides, tired of the fight that would never end... Basically, Creation was more or less over._

_It was a dark time for Guardians and their immortal allies. The Warriors were more of less driven to extinction. No Mortal had been born with the Potential to transform for millennia. The Guardians couldn't just give birth like Mortals, and every day there were reports of another fatality, or missing person. The war was more or less over, with the black hand of the Defilers tightening their grip over Creation. The Guardians were extinct... The remaining Immortals had given up the fight, ready to curl up and wait for the Days of Dark Sun..._

_Then... Everything changed._

----

Six shadows stood at the cliff face, overlooking the burning city before them. At the front of the group, a brown furred wolf stepped forward into the light, twirling a staff in his hand before tapping the ground once. The five remaining shades leapt forward, each brandishing a glowing weapon.

A large Grizzly swung a war hammer over his head before striking the ground before him. The crowd of black scaled creatures trembled as the ground crumbled beneath their feet, turning into chest sized blocks before erupting with the strength of a landslide. Blocks of stone crushed the rag-doll like bodies, organs and blood gushing out of deep wounds caused by flying rock splinters. The Grizzly smirked and leaned the War Hammer on his shoulders, gripping both sides lightly. His entire body glowed a faint violet...

An Eagle leapt from building to building, arrows lodging themselves into an army of snarling monsters, quite a few popping their eyeballs like over-ripe grapes as they buried themselves in their brains. The avian landed amongst the carnage, shivering as she lowered her bow, inching away from the pool of black blood creeping its way to her feet. She glanced up as the Grizzly leaned down behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Her feathers were tinged with a glowing green.

A dull red furred lion spun his double-ended scimitar in hand, slicing through the torsos of several Defiler foot soldiers and trailing a snake of flame through their disintegrating bodies. However, behind him one raised a long blade over head, ready to slash down...

He jerked, black ichor seeping through his lips as he looked down at the spear head protruding through this chest. The figure behind it placed her foot on his back and tugged her weapon free, spinning it in both hands as more creatures rose out of pools of darkness on the ground. Lion and Arctic Vixen shared a glance, nodding once. Tapping blades, the two closed their eyes...

The pair began to glow red and blue, smirking as their victims began to try and retreat. The Vixen blew a kiss at the feline before her whole body turned to water, the Lion bursting into flame. With a single leap, the two headed straight for the front line, trails of their elements snaking around and over their foes as Water and Fire met in the centre, trailing hands against one another.

A white tiger danced between enemies, dual blades lightly brushing the chests of the warriors around her, angry black lines opening up on grey armour that was neatly sliced in two. As bodies started to fall, more and more took their places. Before long, she was overwhelmed, blades knocked out of her hands and arms held tightly behind her back as they forced her to kneel. The largest one grinned, cleaning his claws with a small knife.

"Aw... Is the little kitty too much of a kitten to play with the big boys?" He guffawed and leaned in, trailing his foot long tongue over her cheek, chuckling as she tried to pull away.

"Don't..." She lifted her head, fur crackling...

"Call me, _fucking kitten!_" She twisted her body, gripping the wrists of her captors and tossing them to the ground as she landed on their backs. Lifting her head, lightning earthed in the ground as she stepped forward, bringing her hands together, arcs of energy sparked from finger to finger, an orb of raw power building up in her hands. She locked eyes on the boss Defiler and smiled sweetly.

"What's the matter? Too much of a hatchling to play with the Big Girls?" She pulled one hand away, orb floating above her fingers and in that moment, time seemed to stop. Defilers were clamouring over each other in attempt to escape, Energy linked the tiger to the ground in an unbroken link and in her shingin yellow eyes, a wicked gleam that spelled destruction...

She slammed the orb into the ground, a wave of thunder and lightning sweeping out over the crowd, frying everything it came into contact with. As she stooped down to pick up her blades, she looked over the bodies, shivering at the sheer power she was able to summon and control. Such Raw Power in her hands... And if she wasn't careful... She shivered once more. No. No need to think about that...

----

_A new generation of Guardians, chosen by the Life Goddess herself. No one besides them know each other's real names, and for millennia now, they have simply been going by code names, chosen for their elements and species._

_But they would have been nothing without their leader. The one who took a bunch of kids who normally had nothing to do with each other, despised each other, loathed each other... And turned them into warriors, Warriors who turned the tide against the Defilers._

----

The wolf placed his staff in front of him, catching a blade aimed at his neck and guiding it up and over his head, before ramming it into the ground, locked in place with his own staff. Clutching the warrior's arm, he spun around it, using his claws to deadly effect. When he kicked off the dropping body, a couple of loops of intestine fell out, the creature trying in vain to hold them inside. Flicking his tail, he dropped to all fours before leaping, teeth flashing as they headed towards the monster's throat...

----

_Ghost Wolf. The Light Guardian._

_He is hailed by many to be the best. Many tales are told of him. He held off an entire army single headedly. He brought an entire planet back from the dead. He commanded an army of fierce dragons into battle... He was unstoppable._

_I'll let you in on a little secret that he told me. In war, fear, and intimidation work even better than brute force. What? You really think he could have done all that by himself? Sure, he's good. But not that good._

----

The monster looked up and pulled back a fist. The rage in the canine's eyes quickly turned to fear and an instant before impact, he whimpered...

Ghost pulled himself to his feet, spitting out a few teeth. He swayed gently, holding up one finger.

"... That was a cheap shot..." He bared his claws and settled into a combat stance, smirking. Once more he dropped to the ground, only this time he started to duck and weave, never staying in one place for more than a second or two. His feet became a blur as he began striking the beast with claws and teeth, tearing out whole chunks of flesh before coming to rest behind him. Shifting a paw slightly, the creature behind him gasped, blood pouring out his mouth as he dropped to his knees and fell to the side...

----

_But as long as the Defilers think that, they won't be so sure of themselves. As long as the Guardians think that, they won't give up hope... And as long as the Eternals think that... Well, I won't bore you with the Politics._

_But maybe Ghost did his job too well. Because the Defilers were searching for a weapon. A weapon to use against him, and the others._

----

Six Defilers, black scales gleaming oily in the semi-darkness, sat around a brazier filled with coals and dark gemstones. Hanging above was a bone dish, filled with crimson liquid. As the six chanted, drawing raw energy out of the living Earth beneath them, a pair hidden in the shadows observed.

"Will it work?" The other scoffed, long nails clicking on the ancient stone work he was leaning on.

"Please. When have any of my creations failed? Yes, it will work." Black mist rose up from the bodies of the Defilers, who were now calling for their master, bodies writhing in pain. The second speaker stepped into the light of the fire, a disinterested look on his face.

"Quite a nice haul. I must thank you somehow. Plenty of energy in them..."

The unwilling sacrifices reached up for their betrayers even as the Immortal energies that gave them eternal life were drawn out of them, aging as each year of life they lived was forcibly inflicted on their forms as the mist continued to seep out. Finally, the ex-Defilers crumbled to dust, still screaming as their souls were tied to the brazier, to act as a further fuel for the master's plan. The mist was sucked into the pool above, making the liquid froth as it infused with it. The crimson substance turned black as pitch, matching the gems below. Slowly, they rose out of the fire and lowered themselves into the liquid...

The only sound over the hissing was the maniacal laughter of the Defilers as their greatest creation to date rose out of the shallow bowl, arms folded over its chest...

----

_I sometimes wonder... If they ever felt regret for what they did to their own kind. But they held no respect for anything, except their own worthless hides... They would willingly hand over their own comrades than fall victim to a Guardian's wrath. I shouldn't be surprised really. _

_In the first few moments of my life, I felt... Such power rush through me. Such raw, uncontrollable energy that filled my entire being. The six souls, giving me their life. It was this type of... Rush I guess, which drives a Defiler to taint anything in their path._

_I'm... Ashamed to say... I was hooked. Addicted. I needed to have more; more power, more energy, more life flowing through my veins... And I'd do anything to get it._

_You have to understand... For all intents and purposes, I was a newborn, despite my age. I didn't know any better.... I couldn't understand things like Good, or Evil, right or wrong..._

----

The Cub stood atop the hill, looking down at the scurrying people down below as they tried to beat each other to the "safety" of the valley. Children were crying, pets snarled and whined, horses that were dragging heavier loads than they were used to covered their bits in foam. This was no disciplined march. It was a stampede, without order and without a leader. This once mighty Empire reduced to scrambling in the dirt.

The Moonlit Death, as he had come to be called, his monochromatic fur seemingly glowing in the sunset, reached down to the ground and picked up a pinch of soil, rubbing it between his fingers before sniffing it. It was quite fertile, filled with life and energy. Lifting it up to his face, he let the dust fall into his mouth, relishing as his Defiler Essence sucked the life-force out of it and into him. He glanced down at the refugees, smirking. They'd give him a far greater buzz than a pinch of dirt...

A chance accident down below caused one of the travellers to look up. When his brain registered what his eyes were seeing, a pool of steaming yellow liquid spread out around his feet. He pointed up to the hillside and shouted in a loud clear voice...

"He comes! The destroyer!" The others followed his gaze, each of them quivering with fear. A few ran, either scooping up their children or leaving them in preference of saving their own skin. Some collapsed to their knees, praying to a god that had forsaken this land. Some called to the others, telling them to run while they pulled out their weapons, knowing it was futile. A flicker of admiration bloomed within his breast before being snuffed out. It didn't matter now. All were going to die. All were going to feed his hunger.

He felt his armour slide out from beneath his skin, a gift from his Defiler heritage, covering his body in a faint white bone-like material. From his wrists grew a pair of blades, serrated and sharp, with smaller blades jutting out the sides. They resembled a chainsaw more than anything else, with longer teeth. Leaping down the hillside, he landed firmly on both feet, skewering a woman in front of him and lifted her above his head, feeling the blood splash down onto his face as she screamed. Wrenching his arms apart, the woman was torn in two and tossed in different directions. As he turned his attention to the others, he slowly licked his blades clean, not taking his eyes off the terrified TriCenturians. His entire body shuddered as the soul of the woman rose up behind him, unseen by Mortals, only to be snared by his Essence, and drawn into his body...

----

_Only one person stood up to me. Only one person was __**able**__ to stand up to me at that point..._

_The Light Master. __**My**__ Master._

----

The white furred wolf stood calmly in front of the "Moonlit Death", fingers loose and posture relaxed. This was the reason the child was born... To eliminate the Guardian's source of hope and wisdom. However, he would be no pushover. He had earned his title long ago, in battles against fiends the child could not even imagine. As such, as the Cub ran towards him, he twisted to the side, dodging him effortlessly and watching as the living weapon stumbled past him. Falling to the ground through sheer momentum, he looked back up at the wolf, snarling. He was little older than himself, only around eighteen, yet he had an air of complete and perfect control around him. Like he already knew his this battle would end.

Using his blades to lift him up, the Cub swung wildly, trying to sever his head from his shoulders. The canine just leaned back; both blades cutting though thin air. He continued this dance for several more minutes, his hands clasped behind his back, not even trying to fight back. Then, when the cub reached up with both arms, he struck, delivering a palm to the chest. Even through his armour, capable of withstanding a cannon shell, he felt the wind knocked out of him. As he looked down, he saw a chip fall to the ground.

The warrior simply stood and stared as the child stood back up, scraping his blades over each other. Letting out a primal roar of pain and misery, he leapt to the air, hoping to cleave his body in two as he landed. However, he reached up and _grabbed_ the blades in hand, not a flicker of pain passing over his face as they dug into the palm of his hands, blood trickling down. As he stared at the kid, his nostrils flared. _Now_ he reacted, eyes widening in shock.

"No..." He mumbled to himself. "They couldn't have..." The child tore the blades from his hands, more blood splashing on the ground. A flicker of pain passed before being swallowed once more in that serene expression. The Defiler roared a challenge, waving his blades in the air.

Scowling, the warrior moved his hands delicately through the air, coming to rest in a combat position. As he ran towards him, he dropped to the ground, sticking out one leg and cutting his legs out from beneath him as he passed, quickly followed up by a kick that sent him skywards. Leaping up after him, he swung his foot in a wide arc, crashing his heel into the kid's chest, and standing on him as the pair descended back to the ground. They made a huge crater when they landed, the wolf leaping away before his opponent could use those blades to good effect. He wasn't even out of breath.

The child crawled out of the hole, murder in his black and white eyes. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it was pretty obvious...

"I don't want to hurt you, kid..." Unfortunately, the child didn't share his sentiments. Instead it charged, kicking and screaming like a beast in a trap. Gritting his teeth, the warrior leapt out of the way as the blades shattered the ground just where his feet made been mere seconds before, knocking up shards of stone that stung both fighters. The cub ignored them as they simply bounced off his bone armour; however the Wolf caught one in his eye. Whimpering, he placed his hand over the wound as blood began to flow freely. Sensing victory, the cub snarled and drove both blades forward.

Both hit their target, running through the older warrior's chest.

His eyes opened wide, a trickle of blood seeping through his lips. Wrenching them back out, the cub kicked him in the chest, making him topple to the ground. Flicking his arms, shaking the blood off his blades, the weapon felt a small amount of pity. He was a fine warrior. Turning round, he continued on his way to the remnants... The Guardian's soul would only make him "sick".

"Hold... On... Kid..." Spinning round, the Moonlit Death saw the wolf climb to his feet. The wound in his chest was slowly closing over even as he watched. For the first time since being released from the attention of his magical makers, he felt a pang of fear. Why wasn't he dead? Seeing his stunned expression, the wolf rubbed the wound as it closed over, wiping the blood away from his lips. The eye swelled and with a dull pop filled the eye socket, perfectly formed with no hint of damage.

"My kind... _Our_ kind... Don't go down so easily..." He let his hands fall to his sides, balls of light appearing around them as he dropped his head.

"My name is Ghost Solaris Wolf. Light Guardian. A _Defiler_ like you..." He raised his head sharply, light flaring behind his eyes. "... Doesn't stand a chance." He lightly tossed one of the orbs at the weapon's feet, a flare of light making him shield his eyes. In the moment of blindness, he was struck a vicious blow, knocking him back several metres. Coughing up a small amount of blood, crawling on the ground, the panda cub stared at his hands. That was his blood... His _own_ blood...

He didn't get a oppertunity to move as Ghost ran up and delivered a brutal kick to his gut, sending him sprawling a further couple of metres. He landed next to a cliff face, several towering mountains like the ridges on a dragon's back rising through the mists down below. At some point, someone tried to make a bridge to the nearest mountain, but it was only half completed, and very weak. Struggling to his feet, the young immortal felt fear grip his heart as the Guardian walked up to him, seemingly unfazed by anything he had thrown at him.

"Your kind has been charged with disrupting the Balance. I have to set things right..." He closed his eyes. When they opened they were shining from some inner light source.

"I feel sorry for you kid. Really. You never asked for this..." As Ghost advanced, he took a step back, onto the bridge which creaked dangerously. A flicker of concern flew over Ghost's features before returning to neutrality.

"None of _my_ kind had either, but that's life for you. At least we didn't turn into monsters..." He stood at the edge of the bridge, holding up his arms which were bathed in Light.

The weapon knelt, coughing deeply, blood splattering the wood beneath him. Ghost winced, guilt rising up in him. Whatever atrocities he had committed, whatever the Defilers had turned him into... He was still only a child... And hurting a kid went against everything Ghost stood for.

And yet the Moonlit Death wasn't through. He waited, staring at his own blood as the wolf approached cautiously. When he was little more than a foot away, he lunged with both arms, creating deep gashes over his white furred chest. Ghost gasped and stepped back, onto solid ground, whimpering at the blossom of pain sprouting on his body. Grinning madly, the panda stepped forward. He had heard of Ghost. Who hadn't? If he managed to kill him... To feel _his_ life energy infuse with his own...

The bridge cracked.

He paused mid-step looking down at the wood under his feet. The sudden movement made some of the weak, _temporary_ ropes snap and without their support, the bridge wouldn't hold. He stared as the wood began to fall, looking like slow motion to his eyes. Before he could do anything, the wood beneath him collapsed...

Ghost stared as the child fell out of his sight, chest wound forgotten.

"No!" Leaping forward, he dived to his stomach, gritting his teeth as dirt moved into the wounds, his fingers scrabbling over the edge.

The cub flailed against the cliff face, his blades scraping over bare rock uselessly. He felt himself begin to fall down...

His arm jerked, almost being wrenched out of his socket. Looking up, he saw the warrior grip one of his blades, one of the top-most barbs poking completely through his palm and out the other side. His face was screwed up in pain as his blood poured down the bone-blade, pooling over his hands before dripping down to the mist filled depths.

The Defiler looked up, almost raising his blade to strike before numbly realising that it would spell his demise as well. He scowled, swinging as he tried to grab the cliff face with his free hand...

Ghost nearly howled as he felt the blade tear through his palm, at least dropping the kid by a centimetre. Despite their differences, both Guardians and Defilers had the ability to heal, although they still felt plenty pain. Tightening his grip, he reached down with his other paw.

"Here! Grab on!"

The child stared. Why was he helping? Wasn't his "Holy Crusade" all about killing Defilers like him? He fell another centimetre. This time the wolf really did howl.

"Gods-damnit kid! Grab my hand!" He rammed his feet into the soft earth in an effort to anchor himself, feeling slightly woozy with the blood loss. He felt the bone-blade slip again...

"Kid!"

The bone-blade tore through his palm, blood spraying the cliff face.

Just as a hand grabbed his free paw.

Gasping, Ghost heaved the panda up, his short legs scrabbling on the cliff face as he nearly walked up the side. Digging into emergency reserves, he swung the child up and over the edge, collapsing in a heap next to him. He panted for a while, watching as his hand (now split nearly in half) closed over, healing far slower than it normally would.

"I'm getting too old for this crap..." He froze as a shadow loomed up over him.

"Definitely too old for this..." he muttered to himself, one eye heading upwards. The panda was holding a rock the size of his head over Ghost, ready to drop. With his depleted energy levels, he would be a sitting duck. Scowling, he turned round and lay down on his back.

"Okay, kid. You do what you have to. Gods know I can't stop you right now..." His eyes narrowed as he watched the weapon lift up the rock higher...

"Just think though. What next? You think the Defilers would let you become stronger than them?"

And stopped.

----

_I don't really know... What stopped me. Maybe his attacks had done more damage than I had thought... Maybe I had grown to respect him as a warrior. Perhaps his idea made sense to me, even through the fog of war that clouded my mind. Hell, maybe I even admired him._

_Like I do you, despite your own past._

_It was only later I managed to grasp what I had done. Mercy. Not a Defiler trait by a long shot. At that point, the alarm bells should have been ringing, but I was too confused, too conflicted to really pay attention to what they meant. All I knew was that I didn't have the urge to kill him. Or anyone._

_**Chuckle**_

_Or, maybe, knowing Ghost, he did something to me. Burned away the darkness or something. It wasn't unheard of. But I doubt it. From Darkness I was made, and no matter how reformed I become, it would be to Darkness that I would return... After all, I still bear the Mark of the Defiler over my heart._

----

The panda lowered his arms, tossing the rock to the side before turning around. _Away_ from the remnants. Ghost sat up, mouth hanging open before winching and doubling over. He glanced down at his chest and groaned as the grit within the wounds stopped them from closing over. Rolling his eyes, he reached up and extended his claws, scraping out the muck before struggling to his feet.

"Hey! Hey, hold on!" He limped slightly, grunting as the slashes closed over with agonizing slowness, cursing the time spent in the Council Halls debating instead of training. He caught up with him, his longer strides allowing him to keep pace despite his wounds. He watched as his face remained impassive, even as his eyes flicked from him to the road again.

"Look, not that I don't appreciate the moment of mercy, but..." The child ignored him, leaping up the hillside despite his heavy armour. Ghost whined. He couldn't follow, not in his condition...

----

_The Defilers tried to reclaim me, naturally. They invested quite a lot of manpower into me, literally, and they didn't want to waste it. If I refused to return, they could quite easily reuse that same energy they used to create me... Drain me of all life energies I absorbed and create a better, less moral version._

_So I kept out of sight. I couldn't kill them after all. Whatever happened to me with Ghost didn't just apply to Him and Mortals, but everything. I couldn't even hunt for food, or kill in self defence._

_I was, in a word, Helpless._

_It became a macabre race. Whichever side found me first would be able to use me how they saw fit. Despite my own views on it._

_Both sides wanted me dead._

_Unfortunately, the Defilers had their own way of searching that made the job a hellava lot easier... I wasn't the only thing they created after all..._

----

The child cowered in the small cave he found beneath a rock outcropping, closing his eyes tight against the all-consuming blackness. Once or twice he had tried to make a fire, but every attempt was met with failure. He just wasn't taught nor designed to survive in the wild.

Phantom sounds echoed around outside, making the usually stoic warrior whimper, shuffling back towards the rear of the cave, pressing his back against it. The sounds outside intensified, like some wild beast was snuffling around his hiding place. Normally even the wild animals of his homeland, the Dark Domain, wouldn't bother him, but without his ability to fight back, they had a horrific new dimension to them. The noises faded out until silence reigned once more. The cub opened one small eye, white iris shining in the dark. Hesitantly, he moved forward a little, scraping on the loose dirt.

Immediately several pairs of eyes, glowing a sickly green, filled the entrance to the cave. Yelping, he scurried back, covering his head with his arms, mewing like some pathetic creature crawling through the mud. Like so many of the ones he himself had dealt with. He forgot about his armour, about his blades, about his Defiler status. All he was in that moment was a cub, lost, alone and terrified for its life.

Claws scraped at the small opening, dirt being shovelled away, enlarging the hole. A head reached in and snapped, teeth glistening in the light from their eyes. The Defiled-Beast almost had a sadistic grin on its corrupted features as it pushed its body further into the hole...

A bright light, harsh and piercing erupted into life outside. He heard a flurry of movements, and the creatures whimpered, yelped and screamed into the night as something drove them off. Finally the one trying its damnedest to reach the cub was dragged out by the tail, before being thrown a good distance. It scrabbled to its feet even as the child began crawling back out, eyes squinting against the light. In the harsh luminescence was a figure, silhouetted against the whiteness. As the mutant beast leapt up, teeth and claws ready to rip and shred, the figure made a complicated motion with his hands before reaching his hand out behind him to the light. Some of the glows separated from the source and streamed into his open palm, before he swung his arm around, like lobbing an underhanded ball throw. The light struck the beast in the chest, and it stopped dead, whimpering and squirming as the Pure Light burned away the defiler darkness the creature was shaped from, eventually turning it into some sort of mould on the ground. It would turn to dust and blow away come sunrise.

The weapon crawled out as the figure turned round, lifting what appeared to be a staff out of the ground. At the tip lay a clear crystal wrapped in root like branches, holding it in place. As he watched, the glow from within dulled. Immediately he shivered and tried to retreat back into his burrow. The figure paused, the light on his staff holding onto the dull glimmer that was left. With a small, understanding sigh, he lifted it up a little, the light increasing. Now the cub could see who his rescuer was.

"Hey there. Thought you lost me, didn't you?" The wolf pushed his staff into the ground, tip still shining like a star plucked from the heavens above. Sitting down, he patted the earth next to him, letting a bag hanging over his shoulder drop into the dust. The panda glanced at him, and then to his staff before slowly lowering himself onto the ground. Smiling, the wolf dug into his pack, rummaging through assorted items.

"Flame crystal... Huh, we'll need that..." He sniffed at a semi-sealed jar, making a face. "Well, I think that's off... Hmm... What's in here?" Eventually he pulled out a small crystal, a holder of some sort and a tripod, placing a pot filled with a thick sludge-like stew in it on top. He carefully placed the crystal in the holder, making sure the tip was touching the pot bottom. He reached under the crystal, placing two fingers against it. He focused slightly, a flare of light jumping from him to the gemstone. Immediately it began to glow a deep red, a vivid heat coming from it. The warrior pulled back his fingers sharply, waving his hand and sucking on the burnt digits.

"Damn...still burns." He pulled out his fingers, rubbing them as the skin healed over and fur grew back on it. Stirring the stew-like food he leaned back against his staff, watching his would be killer in front of him.

----

_He was completely and utterly unafraid of me. Just sitting there, with someone who wasn't trying to hurt me, or trying to run away... It was nice. Even though we both hurt each other a lot, and I mean a lot, he still smiled at me, going out of his way to be nice. Nice? To a Defiler? To me?_

_I guess, that was when I felt as if I could... I dunno. Change or something. After all, if the famed Slayer of Darkness didn't believe I deserved to die... Then perhaps there was a chance for me yet._

_Though I must say, his cooking skills left a lot to be desired. He even managed to turn perfectly good __**pre-cooked**__ stew into some sort of... Mush..._

----

The child just stared, with one eyebrow rising above the other as the warrior lifted out the spoon, letting the gruel fall back into the pot with a wet slap that was most unappealing. Nevertheless, it was real food, from real gardens. Defilers never really eat anything, unless you call Souls food. Even the terrible smell coming from it was appetising, having never tasted actual food before. While the warrior was apologising for his cooking skills the kid was inhaling the mush, rice and vegetables scattered around his mouth, sticking to his fur and armour. Much to his surprise, it was enjoyable. Far more enjoyable than absorbing souls in fact. Far more... Natural.

"Geeze, you could use this stuff to cement two dragons together... Wonder what it does to your insides..." He stirred his spoon in it, looking up at the cub already looking into the pot with an empty bowl in front of him. He chuckled, passing his own over and turning the crystal to a low heat with a wave of his hand.

"Though I guess it's good enough. Here, I've got some water in my bag somewhere..." He looked sadly at the child as he dug into the second helping with enjoyment, desperate for the light and starved to near death. The longer he stayed around him, the more he felt sorry for him. The more he felt sorry for him, the harder it would be to kill him... Not to mention...

He sniffed the air delicately, noticing it almost immediately and wondering how he could have missed it in the first place.

No. He couldn't kill him. But what else could he do? He had no where to go... And he had a warrant for his death... He continued to rummage in his bag, handing over a skin of water, thinking hard.

----

_It was a doozy of a question. What to do with me? The Defilers would make a more powerful creature with me... The Guardians wanted me to be destroyed... None of the other races would have me..._

_Ghost couldn't bring himself to kill a child, even by inaction. So he did the only thing available to him._

_He hid me. From both his kind, and mine. Hid me until I was in control of all my aspects, all my hungers... Until I could pass for a Guardian._

_He used all sorts of forgotten rituals to bury the darkness deep within me. Unseen to even Immortal eyes. And yet... It's still there..._

----

Ghost rubbed his temples, wondering whether he could really get away with this. The Council listened to him, but hiding a wanted War criminal was a little outside his jurisdiction. He would suffer the same fate as the Panda if they were caught.

But then again, didn't the oath he swore state that he was to protect all life, no matter what? And he could feel something within him. Something new. Something bright...

----

_So, we talked. Well, I say talked. He spoke, I listened. You've gotta remember, I still didn't know how to talk._

_Communication wasn't exactly high on the Defiler's plans for me after all. He calmly explained things to me. Took a while, I'll admit. It was... Like a game. Yeah, that's how they described it. A game. Ghost had to carefully peel back the layers of their "Parenting" in order to get me to even remotely feel sorry for what I had done..._

_When he was finished... Well, I don't think I have to explain. A part of me retreated back into my mind, the part that was utterly horrified at what I had done. All that was left was... A mallable child, one which he could shape into a better person._

_He named me then. Not a number, nor description. He said I had Potential. Potential to become somethign great. So... Po. _

_He isn't the most imaginative creature around, but his heart's in the right place. After that, he had to hide me somewhere... But do to that, he needed to hide not only my body, but my very soul..._

----

Ghost reached out and slowly touched the cub's shoulder. Instead of panicking like he thought he would, the cub looked up at him, with an almost caring look.

It chilled him, seeing that look on a child covered in someone else's blood.

"Hey kid, can you get rid of that armour?" The child nodded, the bone being absorbed back into his body, revealing clean(ish) fur beneath. Some of the blood had dried onto his fur, creating hard clumps that would take some time to untangle. Without warning, hating himself, Ghost gripped both shoulders and forced him to look deep into his own amber eyes. The child tried to struggle, to escape, but Ghost's eyes were now glowing, holding him in place. He felt himself become disjointed, disorientated, like falling backwards into a deep, unending hole...

Ghost laid the child on the ground softly, muttering apologies under his breath. Gently, he reached out and stroked his head with the tips of his fingers, sighing deep. He carefully cleared away the camp, using a pair of chopsticks to move the flame crystal into a small container, trapping its heat within. Finally, he shouldered the pack, gently shaking the newly named Po awake.

"Po? Come on Po, it's time to go..." The panda woke slowly, eyes unfocused. He got to his feet, staring out at the ruined world around him. Not exactly the first sight he would have wanted the ki—Po, to see, but it couldn't be helped. Reaching down, he held the child's hand, leading him away from the ruins of the Moonlit Death.

----

_He took me away from that place. To his own domain, a world between worlds. The Light Forest, a place where no darkness may enter without an escort. There, I met the person who would be like a Mother to me. Loki._

----

The brown furred rabbit dabbed at the blood stains on the Panda's neck, nose twitching. It was not her place to ask, but she couldn't help but wonder where the Master had found this one. He was always picking up random strays on his travels. During the cleaning, it was pretty obvious that the blood didn't belong to him. But the Master knew best, and he had placed the child under her care. She won't let him out of her sight until he returned...

----

_She was the first one who treated me like any other child. When she learned of my previous fate from Master Ghost, she did not bat an eyelash, saying that I was still a child all the same, and a child under her care to boot. Not even the mighty Council would object to her, not when she got into that mood... Defilers would turn and flee if they heard that she was "Disappointed" with them for their actions!_

----

Po shifted his weight, the torch behind him now burning low next to the ground. Tai Lung watched him wearily, disbelief in his eyes. The panda sighed inwardly, not blaming him for being sceptical. If the roles were reversed, he didn't think he would believe it either.

"Eventually, Ghost saw even _more_ potential in me, and accompanied me to the Temple of Six in the Hidden City. There, I was revealed to have an Earth Spirit, and began my training. After that, well, the rest is history." He placed his hand on the ground and lifted up, palm first. The rock beneath him swelled up, creating a short pillar that he sat on, crossing his legs.

"I haven't 'worn' the armour in years...centuries even. I wonder if I've still got what it takes..." He held up his fist and stared at it, wondering whether or not he really _could_ call on that armour again. Taking a deep breath, he felt around in his mind, looking for that dusty, un-used switch...

Bony slabs slid out of the back of his hand and grew outwards, covering the entire top. More growths slipped out, layering over his fingers and wrist. He stopped the change before it went too far and held it up, observing the reaction on Tai's face.

"Huh. Guess I do. What d'ya know?" He smiled, reaching out and lifting Tai's jaw back into place. The feline couldn't drag his eyes away from that hand. He sat down next to him, simply waiting for the leopard to accept it. Pushing it too far would only make him fear him, and that wasn't the result he was looking for. Settling in to wait, he idly wondered how Ghost reacted when he found out about the whole Guardian thing...

----

Tai opened his eyes, locking on to the Panda before him. The Dragon warrior was rummaging in his bag, not really paying attention to the feline he was sharing a cell with. Getting to his feet, he towered over the panda, wondering how this...carefree and usually optimistic creature could have been...c_reated_ by someone trying to make a better weapon. While he didn't understand most of the things Po talked about, namely the spells and rituals that were unlike anything in the Thousand scrolls he had mastered, or the delicate diplomacy between immortal beings, he could get the gist of it readily enough. Po didn't apparently see him, so he gently cleared his throat.

"Yes Tai?" He stooped down on his haunches, crossing his arms and placing them on his bent knees, looking at him from the corner of his eye. A small, half-smile graced his face as he felt an uncommon kinship to the bear. A kinship forged in battle, strengthened in understanding and tempered in acceptance...

"Is that offer still available?"

**Finally! Tis done!**

**Alright, I know its been late... Sorry. And as per my Beta's recomendations, I've moved away from the Technological aspects of his creation and went along the mystical route... And damn it, if she wasn't right! **

**Lpease, read and review! More questions will be answered in the upcoming chapters!**


	6. Gathering storm

_Snacks and Sieges_

Shifu simply gazed out over the massive army that had seemingly sprung into being overnight in the plains outside the valley proper, not really paying attention on a conscious level. Hands clasped behind his back, his ears drooped a little as he observed countless soldiers performing drills, sharpening weapons and moving strange... Devices across their camps. Shifting his gaze, he found his eyes resting on the group of villagers who, even after Shifu's warning in person, had decided to stay and fight, not just for themselves, or the Masters, but for the very thing that the Valley represented. Peace.

It was a touch ironic in his mind... Fighting, to preserve peace.

The woman, children and those who could not fight through illness, injury or age were helped up the mountainside to the Jade Palace, where they were to be guided through some of the natural caves below. These caves, used as basic storage for perishables, were now the last hope for the Peace Valley way of life to continue. A mighty task for something that had, until recently, been used to store bags of fruits and vegetables. Viper and Mantis were ordered to stay behind to guard them, their small stature meaning they would be able to utilise the Cave's cramped entrance to their advantage... If those on the outside fell, it would be two against two _thousand_... An impossible task, even for such fine warriors. And yet, it was the only thing they could do.

Tigress landed on the ground behind Shifu with barely a sound, straightening up and bowing low until he turned to address her.

"Tigress, What news from the other villages?" It was only now he saw, faintly glittering in the dying sunlight, the tears at the very edges of her eyes. Being the proud warrior she was, she would not let them fall. Not now. Not until she was ready.

"Mah-Master... The villages..." Pausing, she cleared her throat, voice now stronger and containing that same iron will that was normally found in her every word.

"Master... The villages have already been swamped over by this... Army. There... There was no one left." Eyes widening, Shifu tapped his fingers together, a faint flicker of concern passing across his face before it was swallowed once more in that expressionless mask of his.

"That is... Unfortunate. I had hoped that the Messenger's warning was simply youthful exaggeration..." He turned away as Tigress began to lose her battle with her tears, carefully ignoring her mild sobbing. She was a warrior, and yet she was still so very young. As far as he knew, she has never taken a life. When the sound of tears had ended, he turned round to face a Tigress he knew far better. Eyes cold and hard, filled with a burning desire to punish, she bowed low, voice firm.

"Master, please allow me to enter the front lines."

He stared at her straight in the eye, trying to determine her true reason for her wish to fight. Fighting for vengeance's sake, for pride's sake, would only lead to disaster. Even through his many years of training, it was a hard feat to reach into someone's inner psyche and be certain that this, _this_, is the reason for one's actions. After all, if even we ourselves can't determine why we do certain actions, how can anyone else?

But in his most promising student, he only found a burning desire to protect, to nurture, to defend... And admittedly, some wishes to punish, but that would be expected. She may not show it, but the mothering instinct is still there, even under the many layers of kung fu training.

"Tigress... If I allow you to battle alongside me, I must know your mind is not clouded by visions of retribution..."  
She bowed slightly lower, voice and expression firm once more, as they always were. Not a trace of emotion shone through. Her face once more a mask.

"I swear Master; I only have the protection of the Valley in mind."

_And the Children within it._

Unspoken, but still heard by both sides. Nodding once, Shifu turned to the sun, slipping behind the heavy cloud bank that was ready to begin its downpour upon the valley under siege. Darkness flowed up the many stairs of the Palace, like an obscene cloak that threatened to smoother all within its chill grip...

_Po... Dragon Warrior. Where are you?_

----

"Where are we"?

The odd duo of Leopard and Panda had been travelling for a few good hours since leaving Tai's Prison cell behind within the canyon. Still stiff from his years long imprisonment (And subsequent thrashing at the hands of Po), Tai was in some significant pain. Not a flicker passed over his face, but he could tell. You couldn't be held in the same position for year after year then suddenly expect full mobility without _some_ pain.

So Po told him to stop outside a small road-side inn. Besides, there was a storm brewing, and not even the stoic feline could hold back a wince at the thought of journeying through the wind and lashing rain.

"It's a stopover I saw on the way here... It should have enough beds for the two of us for one night... Hopefully, that storm will blow over by tomorrow."

Tai sighed wearily, muttering something about Fat Pandas, but inwardly was relieved. No feline, even Snow Leopards, liked the rain...

He shivered mentally, recalling one particular bad storm back in the valley. His umbrella had decided to commit suicide on him, not only turning inside out, but shredding itself in the process. And Master Shifu had refused to bestow on him the necessary funds to either buy a new one, or repair the old.

He was _certain_ that was when he began to turn evil...

Pushing open the door, Po was met with a very familiar sight... Rabbit waiters and waitresses were serving the needs of various armoured, scarred and muscle bound thugs. In fact, in the corner one rabbit was being held up by its ears and shook, various coins dropping to the Croc's outstretched palm below. Wriggling his snout a little, he waved Tai over, leaning into his ear.

"Best behaviour... I don't want an incident."

The feline scoffed slightly, but none the less bowed his head, averting his gaze from the various villains as the pair sat down at a table. One of the waiters, with a bad twitch under one eye, scuttled over, bracing himself for another abusive "Customer".

"C-can I help you?"

Po spoke up immediately, trying to put the lagomorphs at ease with his usual smile and jovial voice.

"A bowl of Dumplings for me Sir, and my friend will have...?" He stared at Tai, prompting him to reply. Tai glared at him for a few seconds before clearing his throat.

"I'll have... The..." His voice fell silent as he considered what kind of dish he would want... Years of the same gruel they forced between his lips every week or so at Chor Gom had left his palate begging for something decent... Po's cooking was like a godsend.

Eventually he managed to find his voice.

"I'll... Have the same..."

The rabbit nodded once before slinking away, still not truly convinced of their good natures, but giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Others however, weren't convinced.

A large yak, sporting an axe on his back slammed his fist on the table scowling at the pair. A large scar ran down his face, over both his lips and slightly down his chin, ending in a wicked curve. Po didn't even flinch as he pushed his face in front of Po's own, calmly blinking to avoid the spittle. A group had materialised around him, each with a leer on their face that suggests that _someone_ was going to be in pain by the end of the day.

"Lookie what we got here... A Fatty and a Kitty..."

Po's arm snapped out under the table, grabbing Tai's leg and shoving him back into his seat before he could raise a cm or so. Instead the feline let his displeasure known by his swishing tail, snapping against the wood of the chair.

"Look at them... That one's so scrawny; I bet a stiff wind would knock him flat"

This time, Po had to grip, his short nails deceivingly sharp.

"And as for this one... Well, I don't know if he should be classed as a traveller... Or Baggage!"

A wrinkled snout was all he got in reply as the waiter calmly placed both bowls in front of them, before scurrying away. As he lifted one of the dumplings to his mouth, the Yak snarled, slamming his fist and making the bowls rattle.

"Do you think you're better than me? Answer me when I speak to you worm!"

Po sighed, pushing back the brim of his hat, examining him with a critical eye, before motioning over a waiter.

"Yes, can I have a pot of Green Tea please?"

Unaccustomed to being ignored, the yak pulled out his blade, embedding it halfway into the table.

"You Bastard! You think you can just ignore me? Then I challenge you! Your choice of weapon!" Po sighed, sipping from his small tea cup, before placing it down on the table, end up.

"Very well... Though I take no responsibility for your actions..."

He settled back into his chair, simply staring at the cup...

"What... You think you can kill me with your Thimble?" Po licked his lips once, before muttering 'Tea Cup' under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"Tea Cup. I'll kill you, with my tea cup..."

The Yak had had it. He had maintained his reputation of the strongest, most fearsome bandit in the land. There was no one, _No One_, who dared to mock that title. Pulling his blade out of the table, he lifted it over his head, ready to swing down....

However, Po was two steps in front of him, By the time anyone had realised what had happened, Po was on one knee, hand placed over the Yak's chest, twisting once. The Blade fell from his hands, and a trickle of blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth, before toppling backwards. The crowd reared back, staring at the Panda who was now removing his hat, placing it on the table. Staring at the mass of Bandits and thieves, he let his hand hover over the bandit's blade...

The crowd took one step back.

He moved his hand to the tea cup...

The crowd took two steps back.

Finally, he softly reached for the Yak's neck, pulling something loose and placing it carefully on the table, well out of reach of him.

It was a small Wolf fang necklace.

The bandits took one look at him, then the body, before reaching down, in the most subservient manner, dragging their friend's copse towards the door. Tai stared; slack jawed, as Po pulled out a few coins, tossing them towards the bandit's new leader.

"See to your friend... He was a Brave man..."

Replacing his hat, he bowed to the owner of the inn, before apologising, heading for the doorway.

----

Tai stumbled out of the inn' glancing from the Panda in front of him to the building behind him, mouth parting just enough for a single syllable before it snapped shut again, over and over as the feline tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

The monochromatic panda strode ahead briskly, face hidden beneath the wide brim of his woven hat, staring ahead, unseeing, using his feet to map the path in front of him and following them blindly. Eventually he halted mid-step, lifting his head to the sky that had just began to rain drizzle over the pair. Pulling off his hat, he closed his eyes as fat, heavy rain drops splashed against his face, running down his cheeks, until you couldn't tell when the rain began and his tears ended...

Tai stood beneath the shelter of a tree, watching the panda let himself get soaked in the prelude to the storm that was visible on the horizon. In a way, he partly understood the bear's pain... It was probably the first time he had killed in centuries, but on the other hand, it was a bandit... If he hadn't killed him, he would probably have died at the hands of an ambitious underling, disease, or famine... Not to mention all the deaths _he_ would have caused before he finally slipped off the mortal coil.

Something told the leopard that this wouldn't exactly help the panda's condition any however.

Finally, when the panda was drenched from head to toes, he picked up his hat, emptied it of the collected rainwater, before slipping it back over his ears, glancing at the leopard out the corner of his eyes...  
"... Come on..."

----

The storm had finally broke above the valley, wind turning mere rain into painful, stinging projectiles, worming their way through the most solid of defences and the thickest of clothes to coat the fur beneath in its biting chill. Dark clouds, flashing black from within obscured the sun and sky, casting the valley in a pit of the deepest shadow, shadows that seemed to bend and flow and weave by themselves. Roof slates cracked. Babies cried. Pets and livestock bolted, kicking down their pens before retreating into the safety of the light. Today, the skies belonged to something else... Something... Unnatural.

Among the swirling winds stood Shifu, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes following the arcs of black that travelled the clouds. It was almost like reverse lightning. Not a sound emerged from the boiling blackness, and yet waves of pitch darkness arced from sky to earth, accompanied by a biting chill deep within the soul. Forcing his gaze away from the heavens, he observed the army encamped just beyond the village's protective walls. Horses were being fitted with armour as their mounts secured the saddle and harnesses, slipping weapons in the built in sheaths for a ready weapon even on horseback. Archers strung their bows, and trimmed their arrows before a runner poured oil on the mound of grasses before them, setting them alight even as the rain put up a desperate fight with the flickering flames. Heavier warriors attended to their axes and spears, drinking heavily and consorting with their fellow men, more often than not grabbing some passing female and retreating to one of the many tents that littered the camp. One last moment of pleasure before their possible end.

The diminutive observer inhaled sharply as the full extent of the army rolled out before him, even as a fog bank rose up behind them, slinking towards the valley walls. If this was the true number of their forces, he wasn't surprised that the other villages fell. And yet, something niggled at his mind. It was too perfect... How could such a large force creep their way this close to the valley without being detected? How were they so ready for battle despite only now coming into the open? And something deep in his spirit was quite adamant that this storm was no mere coincidence. Licking his lips, he vaulted down from his makeshift perch, landing with barely a sound on the stone, already running headlong for the cavern entrance.

Mantis and Viper were guiding the last few, protesting villagers into the safety beneath the mountain, those too sick to fight but too guilty not to try and help. Only Mantis's sarcasm about how much use they would be and Viper's cool, understanding sympathy were able to get them to comply, at least reluctantly. At the very least, they might be able to help the two Warriors should the army make their way towards the cavern entrance.

Tigress and Monkey, along with the few villagers who knew how to handle a weapon, were on the walls of the valley, shoring up defences, setting up ambushes and traps. As the feline warrior tightened a makeshift rope holding several rather large, rather _heavy_ boulders, she glanced over her shoulder, watching the ape leap from wall to wall, setting spikes into logs and setting trip wires. For a brief moment, their eyes met, locked in place for a few, swift seconds, but it was enough to convey their feeling to each other. Tigress, a rage burning deep within her heart, the urge to slay those who had committed such atrocities against the other villages, and the children within them, held in check by the thinnest of veils. Monkey, calm and collected, making a silent promise to look out for the feline. If she ever went too far, or became too reckless in the battles ahead, he would be there to cover her. Just like when they were kids. With a brief nod, Monkey gave the striped female a thumbs up before securing the last of the spike traps, flipping back to the ground, scanning the skies...

Crane flapped rapidly, climbing altitude until he could view the entirety of the planned battlefield, memorising each detail as best as he could to be recorded in his calligraphy kit later. Clicking his beak and squinting as the high wings threatened to knock him off course, the avian stared, expressionless at the army making themselves ready down below. Laughter, whoops of joy and bloodlust rose up to greet him and for a few moments he felt nauseated. Always taught that violence was always the last answer, it made him sick to his stomach to imagine that someone, somewhere, might actually get a thrill out of the crimes against everything sacred. His senses knocked him out of train of thought however, as he narrowly avoided one of the strange, black lightning bolts that seemed to concentrate within the enemy camp. As the dark energy crackled past him en route to the earth below ,he shivered, his breath visibly hanging in the air before him... So cold... Something... Something was waiting... Something... Cold...

----

Po, finally pushing aside the momentary weakness of guilt, patted the feline on the shoulder, chuckling at a joke he had made about water and felines before slowing, paw falling to his side. As the grey leopard walked on, he quickly realised he was alone, glancing over his shoulder...  
"Po? What's wrong now? Surely even this hill isn't too steep for you..."

Po stared up at the storm hovering over the valley about two days travel away, boiling in the skies above, shivering hard and not just of the temperature pouring off the heavens. Something bad was happening... Something... Horrifyingly familiar. Bony segments slid out the back of his palms before retreating, only to extend once more. His eyes flickered, glowing bright enough to illuminate the ground before him; Violet, Black, Violet, Black... His breath hovered in the air in front of him, adding to the mist that quickly rose around the pair and the valley they were heading towards.

Po, with fists clenched, snarled loudly enough for even the stoic leopard to raise an eyebrow.  
"Po? Are... You okay?"

Twisting round sharply, the leopard took a step back as the normally white parts of the panda's writhed and pulsed, a dirty grey spreading over them, growing blacker and blacker, the course, beastial growls from the ursine grabbing something inside the feline and causing him to shiver, his breath steaming in the air as the once panda approached...

With a shiver, Po dropped to his knees, his white patches coming back in full force as he gasped loudly, sucking in air, the oppressive chill in the air now a mild nip in the atmosphere. Climbing back up, using his knees for support, the bear grunted, glaring up to the sky before glancing over his shoulder to the agitated feline behind him.

"Something's... Something's wrong... We have to hurry..."

Before tai could part his lips to ask, the panda was already several metres from where he started, a haunted look in his eyes. And as the pair clamboured their way up the small hillside that would lead to the valley of Peace. And all the while, a single thought echoed through the bear's mind.

_They're Here..._

**Oooookay... I believe I owe all of you an apology... I had one SERIOUS case of writer's block these past few...  
**

**...**

**Well, almost YEARS, so... Thank you for being so patient with me... I hope you can see the obvious increase in quality levels as you get closer to the end... It feels so good to be able to write without groaning...**

**I promise, the next chapter will not take so long to arrive... And I promise, a few things will be explained... Some asked about what the Defilers look like. You will see. You wonder what Ghost has to do with all this. That may take longer, but it will be revealed. And of course... Tai Lung... I promise all of you now, that you will be surprised and will enjoy what I'm about to reveal about him in the later chapters... Of course, you might already have worked it out...**

**Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter... If so...**

***Innocently glances towards the Review button...***


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